Sophia's Lost Days
by Melting Angels
Summary: What if, when she ran from the walkers, Sophia found help? How would this have changed her story? (Rated M for gore, bad language, and mentions of abuse)
1. What Lies Ahead

**Author's Note:**

Hey there! Thanks for clicking on my fanfiction, **Sophia's Lost Days**. This is an idea that I've had floating around in my head for some time- and since I've been rewatching the series, I figured it was time to give it a shot.

 _This should be around 13 chapters, each one titled after the respective Season 2 episodes so you have an idea of where the story is in the timeline. The chapters will link to the episode title in one way or another._

If this story does well, I will do a sequel following the events of the season 2 and the following seasons.

 **Please enjoy this first chapter of Sophia's Lost Days. As it is not overly long, the second chapter will be uploaded shortly.**

Word count: _1,664_.

 **Last Edited:** 18/3/18 (Grammatical errors corrected)

* * *

 **Chapter 1 -**

 _What Lies Ahead -_

* * *

Sophia had never been so terrified in her entire life. Those one-sided shouting matches between her Father and her Mother, when she used to cower in her room? The first few days of the nightmarish outbreak, when they had to flee- leaving behind everything...and everyone...that they'd ever known? When the camp got swarmed, and the walkers stormed in, killing her Dad, Jim, and Amy? That was nothing compared to the true fear that she was currently feeling- for this time…she was alone, with no one to comfort her. Yes, Mr Grimes had led the walkers away- but that still meant she was on her own until he got back...and who knows what could happen between now and then? If he ever even came back at all- after all, who knows how many more walkers were out there?

There was so many on the highway...

The thought of being alone for too long, at the mercy of the shambling undead, sent shivers down Sophia's spine. After all, she was just a kid- she didn't know how to shoot a gun or use a knife...her father would never have allowed her to learn. So she was completely defenceless- unable to do anything but sit and wait, shivering in the dank water of the creek.

Unless…

Unless she ran back to the highway.

She was a fast runner- all her teachers used to comment on how good she was...even her father used to crack a smile when he saw her running in school sports contests...sometimes.

Yes- she could run back to the highway and find her Mom! But then...Mr Grimes wouldn't be able to find her if he got back. He'd worry...and her Mom would go crazy when she found out. So she'd have to stay put. It was going to be scary- and cold...but she had to do what Mr Grimes said. He knew what was best- he was a grown up...and he was a police officer. A good police officer. So that had to count for something, right?

Taking a deep breath, Sophia did her best to steady her nerves. Settling down as best she could, Sophia curled around herself- it was starting to look like Mr Grimes was going to be a while.

* * *

Sophia was really starting to worry- the sun was getting lower and lower...and Mr Grimes still wasn't back. There had only been two or three walkers chasing her- so how long would it take to kill those few? Unless he'd run into more...which wouldn't be good. He was great at shooting things...but he was still just one man. And one man could only take down so many of the undead before he got tired.

So...what was she supposed to do? Wait for Mr Grimes and get stuck in the cold and dark all night...or make a run for it...and get back to her Mom and the others?

Clutching her stuffed doll tighter, Sophia took another deep breath- steeling herself for what she was about to do.

Shaking slightly, Sophia focused herself as best she could- remembering something that her Mom had told her after one of her Dad's scariest outbursts.

 **"You're so brave, Sophia. My brave little girl."**

The words were simple, but they brought Sophia a strange amount of comfort- enough to make her crawl out of her hiding hole, and rise to her feet.

Looking all around, Sophia was relieved to see no more walkers around- but she knew it probably wouldn't stay clear for long...after that herd on the highway. So she did her best to recall what Mr Grimes had told her…

 ** _"If I don't get back- run back to the highway. To the others. Keep the sun on your left shoulder."_**

With a renewed feeling of determination, Sophia turned around until she felt the lingering warmth of the sun on her left shoulder. Satisfied that she was heading in the right direction, she headed out, taking care to be as quiet as possible.

After all, she couldn't be sure what was lurking in the woods.

* * *

As the last rays of sunlight began filtering through the trees, Sophia began to worry- surely she should have been able to see the highway by now. Taking deep, albeit shaky breaths, she came to a stop by a large, gnarled tree. Sophia did her best not to panic, doing her best to repeat her Mother's words in her head. Panicking would do her no good- and would only get her worked up...which could lead to a fatal mistake. No- she had to stay calm. She'd get to the highway soon enough, and be back with her Mom before nightfall.

* * *

Sophia was starting to shiver- night had set in, bringing with it the terrifying darkness...which was only pierced by the pale moonlight trickling through the treetops. She knew, as she made her way through the dark, that she'd made a wrong turn somewhere...gotten turned around...but she had to keep going. If she stopped, she might fall asleep- and that would get her killed, out in the open.

No. She had to keep going. She could find somewhere safe- a cave, perhaps...and cover it up with leaves or something...like those explorers in the movies. Yeah, she could do that- and in the morning, she could find the sunlight again.

A little proud of her plan, Sophia set off with renewed confidence and a spring in her step. She wasn't going to give in to the dark and let the monsters get her. She was going to be brave like her Mom was when Dad got angry.

 ** _Be brave like Mom…_**

* * *

Another hour had passed, at least- and Sophia was starting to give up hope of ever finding shelter. The forest was dense, she was getting colder- and she was growing more and more tired...which didn't bode well. She'd not had anything to eat or drink all day...and that was taking its toll. She was slowing down, running out of energy...and Sophia wasn't sure how much longer she could keep going.

In her muddled, scared confusion, she barely just caught the whispers of water- of a creek nearby.

The almost melodic sound of water running over smooth rocks brought a new hope to Sophia- and a smile to her face.

Laughing nervously, she dashed forward, picking up her pace until she was almost sprinting. In her excitement, she did not notice the dip in the path ahead..

Until the ground fell out from beneath her…

And she went flying.

Sophia cried out in pain, clutching her doll, as she went tumbling down a steep incline. Sticks and rough stones scraped against her skin as she rolled downward, in a seemingly endless spiral.

A sharp pain ran down Sophia's left leg...until she finally rolled to a painful stop in the icy waters of the creek.

Panting, with tears streaming down her face, Sophia struggled to catch her breath...but it seemed like the world just wasn't being kind to her.

The dull, eerie groan of several walkers pierced the otherwise silent night air. Although it had been months since the start of the outbreak, that chilling noise still sent shivers down her spine, bringing fear into her heart. And now...now she was stuck in this creek- with no way of seeing what direction the walkers were coming from.

 ** _Be brave like Mom._**

Starting to panic, Sophia struggled to get herself up- leaning on her elbows to support herself. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the source of her pain- her left leg...and forced herself to look down.

She wished she hadn't.

A sharp rock was clearly the culprit of her wound...and the result was…

Sophia dry heaved, tears streaming down her face.

A large gash ran from her left knee...all the way down to her left ankle...deep enough to show white bone shining through the glistening red blood.

As the red liquid began to pool beneath her, clouding the otherwise clear water around her, Sophia started to cry. There was no way she was going anywhere with that leg- and she couldn't even defend herself. She didn't have anything resembling a weapon on her- only her tatty stuffed doll.

And she was completely...entirely alone.

Struggling backwards, as she saw the walkers at the edge of the incline that she'd fallen down, Sophia cried harder. She'd never been more terrified in her entire life.

Was this it?

Was she going to die here, alone, torn apart by walkers?

Would she never see her mother again?

Gulping, as she cried ugly, harsh tears, Sophia began to grow dizzy from the blood loss.

Her arms no longer able to support her, Sophia let herself fall backwards. Lying on her back in the creek, she watched as the world above her began to swirl and blur.

Just before her eyes slid shut…

Sophia could have sworn she saw someone leaning over her…

With a kind face…

Just like…

 ** _Just like her Mom._**


	2. Bloodletting

**Author's Note:**

Hey there! Thanks for clicking on my fanfiction, **Sophia's Lost Days**. This is an idea that I've had floating around in my head for some time- and since I've been rewatching the series, I figured it was time to give it a shot.

 _This should be around 13 chapters, each one titled after the respective Season 2 episodes so you have an idea of where the story is in the timeline. The chapters will link to the episode title in one way or another._

If this story does well, I will do a sequel following the events of the season 2 and the following seasons.

 **Please enjoy this second chapter of Sophia's Lost Days. It's quite a bit longer than the first chapter!**

The third chapter will be up soon!

 _This second chapter has alot of dialogue, and is really here to set up the rest of the story- but please enjoy regardless! Things pick up next chapter! Have to set the scene, as they say!_

 **Also, there is one slight change. In the house Daryl finds, which is where Sophia and the stranger are now- there was a food cupboard. (Where Daryl finds the blankets and discovers Sophia was there at some point). In this story, I've replaced the cupboard with a basement. There are no other changes.**

A quick heads up- this chapter includes mentions of verbal and physical abuse. (Unfortunately that is a significant part of Carol and Sophia's past) If this is a trigger for you, please proceed with caution. I'd hate for anyone to get upset.

 **Word Count:** 5,311!

 **Last Edited:** 18/3/18 (Grammatical errors corrected)

* * *

 **Chapter 2 -**

 _Bloodletting -_

* * *

 _The sound of a glass shattering on the floor wakes Sophia from her sleep. And, as she rises, the all-too-familiar sound of her Dad screaming to high heaven pierces the night air. Although the sound terrifies her, she continues down the hallway, taking care to avoid the creaky floorboards. Coming to a stop at the top of the stairs, Sophia sits down, making sure to remain unseen._

 _In the kitchen, she can see shattered glass glimmering in the dull light...and her Mom backed up against the stove. Water for the coffee bubbles in an old, weathered pan._

 _"I told you to have the damn coffee ready when I got home, woman!" her Dad yells, still out of sight._

 _"I-I'm sorry, Ed. I just got so tired…" her Mom protests weakly._

 _"Am I hearing excuses? How the hell can you be tired when you've been lazing around?"_

 _"Ed-"_

 _"Just shut up and make me my coffee. You're lucky I'm in a good mood tonight, or I'd be beating you black and blue."_

 _The sound of her Dad's footsteps soon fades, and her Mom catches sight of her. Mom gives her a weak smile._

 _"Go to bed, sweetie. Mom's okay." she makes a shooing gesture._

 _Reluctantly, Sophia heads back down the hall…_

 _Swearing that she could have seen blood…_

 _Running down her Mom's arm._

* * *

"Kid." an unfamiliar voice began to stir Sophia from her slumber. "Hey kid, can you hear me?"

Sophia wanted to answer, to find out who the voice belonged to, and where she might be...but she couldn't- she just couldn't muster the strength to open her eyes. Or do much of anything, for that matter.

"Come on kid, you're starting to worry me." the voice spoke up again.

Her whole body burning with a rising fever, Sophia began taking deeper breaths- or as deep a breath as she could take...given that her chest felt so tight.

"Shit." the voice cursed. "Come on."

The voice sounded tired, and worn- but once Sophia began to focus harder...she could at least discern that the unfamiliar voice belonged to a woman. And judging by the lack of any other noise...it seemed like the strange woman was on her own.

"Look, kid." the woman took a deep breath- it sounded like she'd been crying. "You don't know who I am, but...do me a favour."

The woman took another deep, shuddering breath, betraying emotions that she was clearly struggling to keep at bay.

"Open your eyes." the woman begged. "Please."

Hearing the woman begin to cry, Sophia gathered all her strength- or what little was left of it. Breathing as steadily as she could, Sophia fought back against the exhaustion...and opened her eyes.

Sophia found the source of the voice leaning over her. The woman's face was pale, and gaunt, framed by a mass of red hair...and dark circles rimmed her green eyes. Weatherworn skin was marked by an old scar across the woman's nose. She looked exhausted, perhaps as much as Sophia was- and yet, when Sophia opened her eyes...a huge smile broke out on the woman's face. Seemingly ecstatic, despite how tired and...starving she looked, the woman let out a relieved sob, before leaning back slightly to give Sophia some space.

"You had me worried there, kid." the woman took a deep breath, before wiping the beginnings of tears from her eyes. "Think you can sit up?"

Sophia nodded, weakly, and the woman smiled even wider. Normally, Sophia wouldn't dream of trusting a stranger- her Mom would have a fit, but something about the woman...calmed Sophia. And it seemed obvious that this woman had been taking care of her. So Sophia decided to trust her. For now, at least.

"You ready?" the woman asked.

"Yes." Sophia managed to croak out, voice hoarse.

Leaning down, the woman gently wrapped her left arm around Sophia's back, before cautiously pulling Sophia up, towards her. The motion, as careful as it was, drew out a few tears from Sophia- it hurt to move. Face going back to a calm, neutral expression, the woman used her free hand to pile up an array of cushions and pillows behind Sophia. Once satisfied, she took hold of Sophia with both arms.

"I'm gonna lean you back now, okay?" the woman waited for Sophia to respond.

Throat to dry and sore to reply, Sophia merely nodded in response. Sucking in a deep breath, she allowed the woman to sit her up, leaning against the pile of cushions behind her. Satisfied with Sophia's new sitting position, the woman pulled a worn comforter up to Sophia's waist- smiling as she tucked her in. Finally able to relax a little, the woman perched at the end of Sophia's bed.

As the woman took a few moments to breathe, Sophia took advantage of that time to study her saviour. The woman wore a white doctor's coat, albeit speckled with dried blood, over a simple shirt and torn jeans. Bloody combat boots covered her feet- baring markings that almost looked like teeth had grazed over them. Upon focusing further, Sophia noticed just how thin the woman was...and the amount of bruises and cuts scattered over her exposed skin. The woman seemed like she'd been...for lack of a better word...through hell- and judging by the blood coating her hands...Sophia had been part of that hell.

Noticing that Sophia was staring at her hands, the woman hastily wiped them on her jacket- lacking much else to clean them with. Or maybe she just didn't want to take her eyes off Sophia. Crossing her arms, the woman relaxed a little, before turning to face Sophia.

"I'm going to get you to drink some water, before we do anything else, alright?" the woman bent down, before pulling out a large hiking pack from under the bed.

Brightened by the prospect of some water, Sophia smiled slightly, despite her burning fever. She watched eagerly as the woman pulled out a large water bottle from the pack- before producing a plastic cup to go with it. As the woman poured the water, she glanced at Sophia.

"You're dehydrated, so you're going to want to guzzle this water as fast as possible." the woman spoke calmly. "But you need to take small, slow sips."

When Sophia looked confused, the woman spoke up again.

"If you drink this too quickly…" the woman set the cup on the bed, before securely closing the water bottle. "...after being dehydrated, you'll likely end up vomiting- which will just make the dehydration worse."

Picking up the cup of water, the woman focused on Sophia again, gently pushing the pack and water bottle back under the bed with her foot.

"You got that?" the woman asked.

Nodding, Sophia held up her trembling hands, sweat beading on her brow. Satisfied, the woman handed her the cup of water- watching each sip Sophia took with intense focus. It was becoming clear to Sophia that the doctor's coat the woman wore was no costume, no piece of clothing she'd picked up on the road- it was hers. And she'd earned it.

"Are you a doctor?" Sophia managed a few words, once she'd drunk half the cup.

"I'm a surgeon. Or at least I was, before all this...end of the world started." the woman sighed, leaning forward to adjust a camping lamp on the bedside table next to Sophia.

"What's a surgeon?" Sophia took another sip of water, ignoring the burning sensation that came with each word.

"A surgeon is someone who operates on people, and puts them back together...basically." the woman summarized, leaning back against the bed again.

"That's so cool!" Sophia finished her cup of water, handing it to the woman.

Looking sadly, down at the plastic cup, the woman took a deep breath, before turning to face Sophia again.

"We don't need to worry about me." she spoke bluntly. "I'm more worried about you."

"Me?" Sophia was slightly confused. Sure, she had a fever, but her leg wasn't hurting.

"Yes, kid." the woman paused. "I...I actually don't know your name yet- that should have been my first question."

"My name's Sophia." Sophia smiled weakly. "What's yours?"

"I suppose I should return the favour." the woman chuckled. "I'm Jasper. It's good to meet you properly, Sophia."

The two of them smiled at each other, before Jasper spoke up again.

"Now that we know each other a little better... how did you get to that creek, Sophia?" Jasper asked.

"I was running from the walkers." Sophia answered.

"And before that?"

"I was with my Mom."

Sophia felt her heart skip a beat, as she began to think of her Mom- terrified back on the highway, screaming Sophia's name. Sensing Sophia's rising panic, Jasper spoke up again.

"Take a deep breath." She took Sophia's hands in her own, in an attempt to soothe her. "So you were with your Mom. Were you two with anyone else?"

"Yes…" Sophia hesitated.

Jasper seemed really nice...but she was still pretty much a stranger. Still...this stranger had saved her life, brought her to some kind of shelter (which looked alot like an old, dusty house) and given her some clean water to drink.

"You don't have to tell me their names, if you don't want to, Sophia." Jasper spoke gently. "Was there alot of you?"

Sophia took a moment to count in her head.

 ** _Her Mom._**

 ** _T-Dog._**

 ** _Dale._**

 ** _Andrea._**

 ** _Shayne._**

 ** _Daryl._**

 ** _Glenn._**

 ** _Mr Grimes._**

 ** _Carl's mom._**

 ** _Carl._**

 ** _And Sophia herself._**

"There's eleven of us." Sophia spoke up.

"Safety in numbers." Jasper nodded. "I assume they'll be looking for you?"

"Yes." Sophia felt increasingly guilty at the prospect of them all searching for her in the dark.

"Okay. So it's likely that some of them are looking for you right now." the woman paused. "How did you get separated from them? Was it the walkers?"

"Yes. We were on the highway...and...there was a...whole group of them...maybe...maybe a hundred." Sophia took a deep breath. "Maybe more. So we were hiding…"

"Go on, Sophia. Take your time." Jasper reassured her.

"But some of them came after me...so I had to run, into the trees." Sophia concluded. "I ran, and then I fell- and now I'm here, with you."

"Alright." Jasper let go of Sophia's hands. "You've been very brave, Sophia."

"I have?" Sophia reached up to wipe sweat off her forehead.

"Oh, you definitely have. You got yourself pretty far away from those walkers." Jasper carefully wiped the sweat away with a small towel.

"But I fell." Sophia watched, as Jasper folded up the towel.

"You still got that far by yourself." Jasper put the towel back down on the bed. "Which is pretty brave, if you ask me."

"T...thank you." Sophia smiled slightly.

Jasper smiled back, and a moment of companionable silence passed between them, before she started talking again.

"Alright. So what we need to do is get you back to the highway." Jasper produced a map from her pocket, unfolding it.

Sophia watched as Jasper studied the map, concentrating, before she laid it down on her lap. Crossing her arms, Jasper began to wear a more stern expression, as she looked back at Sophia.

"But, I'm going to be honest with you, Sophia." Jasper took a deep breath. "That won't be happening for a few days."

Stunned, it took Sophia a moment, before she could muster the courage and strength to talk again.

"Why?" Sophia asked, heart sinking.

"You're...very sick, Sophia." Jasper answered reluctantly.

"I have a fever." Sophia was confused at the concern on Jasper's face.

"You have that fever because your leg is... infected." Jasper continued.

"Is it…" Sophia swallowed, in an attempt to calm her nerves.

Was it the walkers? Had they bitten her before Jasper got to her? Was that why she had a fever?

"It wasn't the walkers that caused the infection." Jasper spoke quickly.

Sophia heaved a sigh of relief.

"But I had to carry you here...from that creek..and in that time, your leg grew..infected." Jasper paused before continuing. "I couldn't do anything for you until I got us here."

"Okay…I still don't understand why we can't go to my Mom." Sophia fought back tears.

"You're not well." Jasper re-emphasized. "You won't be able to stand on your bad leg...and I can only carry you for so long- which makes it difficult to travel too far."

"Oh." Sophia realized the logic behind Jasper's words.

"But I have an idea. A plan." Jasper smiled slightly.

A plan? Well, whatever Jasper could come up with would surely work. She'd gotten them pretty far already.

"Okay." Sophia nodded, listening intently.

"There's a small town not too far from where we are now." Jasper glanced back down to the map. "We're roughly three hours away...but with me carrying you...it'll be more like four or five hours- and that's provided we don't run into trouble."

"Oh." Sophia clasped her hands together.

"We can get there, if we work together. I'm thinking we head out there…" Jasper yawned. "Get the antibiotics I need to treat this infection...and get together some food and water. Some proper supplies."

"Okay."

"By the time we've been round the town, it'll be getting dark...so we'll have to stay in one of the houses there overnight."

"Alright."

"The next day, we'd head back here. And it'd likely be dark, so we would stay another night here….then head for the highway the following morning."

"What if my Mom and the others aren't there when we get back?"

A moment of awkward silence passed, Jasper considering her next words carefully, before she started talking again.

"They will be." Jasper thought for a moment. "But if...if...they had to move away from the herd...I'm sure they'll have left you a message...or some kind of sign- to tell you where they are."

Reassured, Sophia nodded, indicating for Jasper to continue.

"How does that sound?" Jasper smiled tiredly.

"It sounds...really good." Sophia did her best to sound enthusiastic, despite her own exhaustion.

"Any questions?" Jasper pursued.

"Why can't I feel my leg much?" Sophia asked bluntly.

"I gave you a couple of injections." Jasper started.

"Injections?!" Sophia interrupted.

"I gave you the last bit of numbing medicine that I had." Jasper explained tactfully. "And then I gave you what little morphine I had left."

"Morphine?" Sophia vaguely recognized the word.

"A very strong painkiller. I wanted to make sure that you only had your fever to worry about, for now." Jasper smiled.

Reassured, by Jasper's careful answers and calm tone of voice, Sophia leant back further on the pile of pillows behind her, allowing herself to relax...just a little bit more.

"Any other questions, Sophia?" Jasper sat up straighter.

Sophia thought for a moment, before speaking up.

"Why are you helping me?" She asked quietly.

Surprised, Jasper took a moment to reply.

"You're just a kid." she answered.

"Just a kid?" Sophia was slightly saddened.

"And…" Jasper continued, sadness in her eyes. "You remind me of someone."

"Someone?" Sophia pursued.

When Jasper appeared to shudder, the glimmer of tears beginning to shine in the corner of her eyes, Sophia felt a pang of guilt.

"You don't have to tell me...Jasper." Sophia felt awkward.

"No...it's okay." Jasper took a deep breath, wiping the tears away. "You've told me something about yourself. And I...I can do the same."

"Are you sure?"

"I am."

"So...who do I remind you of?"

"My...my little girl."

Sophia's eyes widened. Jasper had a daughter?! And...and the daughter wasn't with her?! What could have happened?

"Your little girl?" Sophia was hesitant to ask.

"Her name was Annie...I named her after my grandmother." Jasper began.

"Pretty name."

"Thank you."

"Sorry...I interrupted you."

"It's alright. Annie...she's not here anymore."

The words struck at Sophia's heart, and she felt her own heart ache.

"She...was just...just turning ten. And Annie...she got bitten, near the start. And...that was...that was it." Jasper concluded.

"I'm sorry." Sophia wasn't sure what else she could say.

After all, what could she say...about something so terrible? To a mother who had lost her only child?

"You're a sweet kid, Sophia." Jasper smiled sadly.

Yet another few moments of awkward silence passed, the two of them avoiding each others gaze...before Jasper cleared her throat- and looked at Sophia once more. Once Sophia was looking at her, Jasper spoke again.

"But we're still here, right?" Jasper smiled,genuinely this time.

"Right." Sophia agreed.

"So. Now that you're awake, I can check out the basement. It was locked, but I found some keys when I was looking around earlier- when I was checking for walkers." Jasper stretched.

"There's no walkers in here?" Sophia pursued.

"None. I checked every room, except for the basement, of course." Jasper hopped off the bed.

Kneeling down, she pulled her hiking pack back out, before beginning to rummage through the sizable bag. After a few moments, Jasper produced a sizeable hunting knife, and another, smaller camping light. Twirling the knife in her hands, she took a deep breath, before rising to her feet, back straight.

"The windows downstairs were all boarded up when I got us here- can't see anything through them...inside, or out." Jasper tucked the hunting knife into her belt, so as to adjust the smaller camping light. "The doors are pretty sturdy too, and I've barricaded all of them with the furniture, so nothing's getting in, as long as we're quiet enough."

"Got it." Sophia nodded.

"But…" Jasper hesitated, before pulling out a pocket knife from her jacket pocket. "Take this."

Slightly hesitant, Sophia took the small knife, turning it over in her hands to get a better look. Still a little confused, she looked back up at Jasper, who was tying the camping light to her belt with a bit of rope.

"Jasper?" Sophia was still puzzled.

"There might be walkers in the basement. Might've not heard them- that's probably why it was the only locked door." Jasper explained.

"Oh."

"So I've got to go down there by myself. Can't risk taking you with me yet. But at the same time, I can't leave you completely defenceless."

"I...okay."

Jasper produced a set of keys from the back pocket of her trousers, holding them tightly in her left hand- before pulling the big hunting knife back up from her belt with her free hand. Clutching the knife tightly, she looked down at Sophia with a look of pure determination.

"I'm going to close this room's door behind me, and block it from the outside, in case any walkers get past me." Jasper spoke sternly.

"O...okay." Sophia swallowed.

"You're a brave kid, Sophia. I just need you to be a little bit more brave. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes. Yes...I can."

"Good girl."

Jasper strode across the room, stepping into the hallway. Poking her head around the door, she gave Sophia an encouraging smile, before ducking back out of sight. The door closed, and a brief sound of Jasper shoving something behind the door grated on Sophia's tender eardrums…

Before the sound of Jasper's footsteps faded…

And Sophia was left alone…

In the unfamiliar room.

* * *

For some time, there was nothing but silence- until a cheer of victory sounded from below. It seemed as if Jasper had gotten into the pantry- which hopefully meant that, soon, they'd be eating. And given how hungry Sophia felt, she was looking forward to eating- no matter what Jasper served up. She was pretty sure that, at this point, she'd eat anything. Well, almost anything. As long as there weren't any bad vegetables. Just as Sophia was about to call out to Jasper- to see if there was anything in the pantry...she heard a string of all-too-familiar groans.

There were walkers in the basement!

As the sound of crashing, accompanied by swearing, reached Sophia- she found her heart beating faster. What if the place was full of walkers- and there were too many for Jasper to kill? What if they got past her, and came upstairs?

Terrified, Sophia clutched at her borrowed knife, hands trembling as she listened intently to the commotion downstairs. Several minutes passed, before the panic slowly transitioned into silence- the deathly quiet doing nothing to calm Sophia's nerves.

Just as she was considering calling out to Jasper again, Sophia heard the sound of muffled footsteps...coming up the ancient, creaking stairs. Leaning as far back against the bed as she could, Sophia shakily pointed the knife towards the door- listening as the sound of furniture scraping against the floor echoed just outside.

"Sophia?" Jasper called softly, as she quietly opened the door.

So relieved she could almost cry, Sophia swallowed in an attempt to calm her lingering nerves.

"Everything okay in here?" Jasper sounded concerned, as she came into view.

"Yeah." Sophia managed. "I'm okay."

"You sure?" Jasper pursued.

Sophia struggled to find words, as she looked Jasper up and down. Aside from a few splatters on her face...her doctor's jacket was near drenched in dark walker blood, bits of gore and splinters of bone glimmering in the disgusting liquid- dripping onto the floor. Following Sophia's gaze, Jasper hastily removed the jacket, folding it up in her hands, before tucking it under her arm. Wiping her knife off on her jeans, she took a deep breath, before speaking up.

"Okay." Jasper caught her breath. "We're both okay."

After a moment of silence passed, Jasper spoke again.

"There was...there was three walkers in there." Jasper explained. "They'd been in there a while, so...it doesn't smell too great."

Sophia grimaced, gently placing her borrowed knife in her lap.

"I'm going to quickly get the...bodies...outside." Jasper walked outside. "Let the basement air out some…"

She knelt down, and pushed her jacket under the bed, before getting back up, standing straight.

"Then I'm gonna clean myself up as best I can…" Jasper stretched. "And fix us something to eat. Think you can wait a little longer, Sophia?"

"Yeah." Sophia nodded eagerly. "Can I help?"

"No, kid. You just need to rest. Want some more water?" Jasper knelt back down. "I'm pretty sure I saw some down there."

Producing the cup and water bottle, Jasper cautiously laid them on the bedside table.

"Remember-" Jasper started.

"Small sips." Sophia smiled proudly.

"Good." Jasper straightened up. "Keep holding that knife- I'm gonna go clear up."

"Okay." Sophia nodded, gripping the knife again- renewed with confidence after seeing Jasper.

"You're a brave girl, Sophia." Jasper headed out the door. "I bet you get that from your Mom."

Stunned, Sophia watched as Jasper disappeared, out of sight, and shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Nervously twirling the knife in her hands, Sophia heaved a sigh of relief when the door creaked open again. Exhausted, Jasper leant against the doorway, struggling to catch her breath. Sophia remained silent, waiting until Jasper straightened up, before she spoke. Wiping her knife off on her jeans again, she headed across the room, cautiously kneeling back down. Rummaging around in her hiking pack, she produced a small plastic bag, before leaning back against the bed. Resting for a moment, Jasper looked up at Sophia.

"Hungry?" Jasper reached for the water bottle, producing another cup from her bag.

As Jasper sipped her water carefully, Sophia's stomach rumbled, loud enough that it startled them both. Face reddening, Sophia looked away- embarrassed...before Jasper burst out laughing, almost choking on her water.

"I'll take that as a yes." Jasper had tears in her eyes from the laughter.

After a moment, Sophia started laughing too. As the laughs slowly calmed down, they looked at each other- smiling.

"Okay." Jasper screwed the cap back on the water bottle. "I'd better change my shirt."

As she got back up, clutching the plastic bag, Jasper glanced back at Sophia. Thinking for a moment, she looked through the bag- before producing a faded blue shirt.

"I've got a spare shirt." she confirmed. "Forgot I grabbed it. Want to change?"

Sophia glanced down at her sweat covered, bloodstained shirt, and shuddered, before looking back up.

"Yes please."

* * *

With both of them sporting fresh shirts, both of them now clean of blood, Jasper finally headed across the room- before pausing in the doorway. Glancing back at Sophia, she cleared her throat.

"You allergic to anything?" Jasper questioned.

"Nope." Sophia spoke cheerfully.

"Great. Hold tight."

"Okay."

Jasper disappeared out the door- but this time, Sophia wasn't so nervous...Jasper always seemed to come back.

* * *

After several trips backwards and forwards from the basement, Jasper had filled the room with a surprising array of supplies. Camping equipment, jars, cans, and even bottles of water were strewn across the floor. Mingling with the supplies was bedding, and spare clothes, that Jasper had found from around the house. What they lacked, however...was a first aid kit. Confused, as to how a first aid kit could be missing from such a vast selection of equipment, Sophia spoke up.

"Jasper?" she called out.

"Yeah?" Jasper reappeared, dragging a single bed behind her.

"Where's the first aid kit?" Sophia spoke up.

Dragging the single bed to the opposite side of Sophia's bedside table, Jasper stopped to take a breath.

"It's ruined." Jasper answered bluntly, moving the bed into place, before sitting down on it.

"Ruined?" Sophia was saddened.

She'd hoped the first aid kit was around somewhere- so she could get back to her Mom alot faster.

"I think the people tried to use it before they turned-" Jasper headed out the door, before producing the first aid kit. "But...well...you can see."

Sophia focused, and her heart sank again, even more..as she took in the state of the kit. It was covered in old blood, and near torn apart with scratches. Watching, as Jasper cast it aside in frustration, Sophia attempted to alleviate the rising tension that she could sense.

"We've got food." she spoke quietly.

Realizing her tone of frustration, Jasper cleared her throat, before relaxing.

"We've got food." Jasper repeated. "We've got food."

Sophia smiled slightly.

"Right." Jasper clapped her hands together. "So. I just need to block us in here."

"Block us in?" Sophia was puzzled.

"There's a bathroom in here." Jasper pointed to a door that Sophia had neglected to notice. "We can use one of these buckets."

Sophia grimaced.

"It's not glamorous, I know." Jasper rubbed her hands together awkwardly. "But there's no water...the plumbing will have gone a long time ago."

"It's okay." Sophia nodded, thinking back to the ' bathroom in the camp, the one in Dale's rv. ""At least it's inside."

"Very true." Jasper chuckled, before heading back to the door.

Searching through the keys, she eventually found one that fit their room's door, and locked them in.

"Why didn't you lock it before?" Sophia asked.

"Wasn't thinking straight." Jasper answered bluntly. "I was just focused on you...so…"

"You're tired." Sophia realized. "It's alright."

Relieved at Sophia's understanding, Jasper moved the armchair against the door, as an added protective measure.

"Now, we're almost there." Jasper sat beside the pile of supplies.

Quickly, she rummaged through- organizing the objects as she went. Jars, packets, and cans were separated, and put in separate piles, and the camping equipment was put away from the spare bedding. Soon, the chaotic pile was organized- the search even yielding a sizeable pile of water bottles.

"That's alot." Sophia yawned- she was starting to get tired again.

"We're lucky. Some of the food was...well...beyond saving. But this stuff seems alright." Jasper inspected the food labels. ""So. We have...alot of baked beans, some soup...and alot of fruit."

After a moment, Jasper began to laugh. Sophia leant forward slightly, and found herself beginning to laugh. For, from the pile, Jasper had found a jar of chocolate spread...a jar of marshmallows...and some crackers.

"They're not quite the smores you and I are used to...but I think we can make it work." Jasper beamed.

"I can't remember the last time I had chocolate." Sophia giggled.

"Me either, kid."

"Can we have some now?" Sophia begged.

"After dinner, Sophia. We've still got to eat properly, while our supplies last." Jasper put the 'smores equipment' to one side.

"Aww." Sophia pouted.

Jasper chuckled slightly, before she produced a pair of tomato soup cans, a pair of baked beans cans...a camping stove...and an old pan.

"Baked beans and soup?" Sophia was surprised.

"Don't knock it 'till you've tried it, Sophia." Jasper pried open each can with her knife, before setting them aside. "It tastes pretty good, and more importantly, it's going to keep us full."

Sophia watched as Jasper set the stove up, struggling to light it with some old matches.

When the stove finally lit up, they both cheered.

* * *

With the stove safely turned off, and the window cranked open a notch, Jasper and Sophia sat opposite each other on their borrowed beds- a small camping table between them. As their spoons clanked against their bowls, they sat in companionable silence- only stopping to sip from their bottled water. The meal was simple...and the beans may even have been a bit overcooked...but it was still a meal, one that they both desperately needed. And, more importantly, the warm food brought some much needed comfort.

Eventually, Jasper spoke up.

"So." she swallowed her last spoonful of bean soup. "Now...I don't want you to panic."

"Panic?" Sophia stopped eating.

"I gave you a strong dose of painkillers." Jasper took a sip of water. "But those will wear off by the time we leave...which will mean that your fever will get higher overnight."

"Oh." Sophia swallowed nervously.

A moment of silence passed, Jasper looking awkward, before Sophia found the courage to speak up again.

"But...It's okay." she shrugged, doing her best to appear confident.

"It is?" Jasper was surprised.

"Because…" Sophia took a deep breath.

"Because?"

"Because I have you."


	3. Save The Last One

**Author's Note:**

Hey there! Thanks for clicking on my fanfiction, **Sophia's Lost Days**. This is an idea that I've had floating around in my head for some time- and since I've been rewatching the series, I figured it was time to give it a shot.

 _This should be around 13 chapters, each one titled after the respective Season 2 episodes so you have an idea of where the story is in the timeline. The chapters will link to the episode title in one way or another._

 **If this story does well, I will do a sequel following the events of the season 2 and the following seasons.**

Let me know if you guys would prefer longer chapters to be split into two. I'd love to hear any feedback.

A quick heads up- this chapter again includes mentions of verbal and physical abuse. (Unfortunately that is a significant part of Carol and Sophia's past) If this is a trigger for you, please proceed with caution. I'd hate for anyone to get upset.

 **Please enjoy this third chapter of Sophia's Lost Days.**

And be mindful that there is a fairly detailed description of gore later in the chapter- when Jasper tends to Sophia's wounds.

* * *

 **Story Stats!**

 **Reviews:** 6

 _Thanks to all who have reviewed so far!_

 **Favourites:** 2

 _Thanks for the favourites!_

 **Followers:** 7

 _Thank you for following this story!_

 **Word count:** _6,139_ _!_

 **Last Edited:** 18/3/18 (Grammatical errors corrected)

* * *

 **Chapter 3 -**

 _Save The Last One -_

* * *

As soon as Sophia woke, she was, this time,acutely aware of the excruciating pain in her leg. The intense, white-hot pain was unlike anything Sophia had ever experienced- bringing with it a burning fever that seemed to be leaving her in an uncomfortable pool of sweat. Tears beginning to form in her eyes, from the pain, and subsequent exhaustion. Sophia couldn't bring herself to open her eyes- even as she heard Jasper moving in and out of the room. Sophia had never felt anything like this. The lightheartedness of the previous evening's joyful meal seemed like a distant memory- replaced by the agony of the present.

Trembling, she did her best to focus- listening to what was going on around her.

"Okay. Okay." Jasper could be heard rushing around. "Shit."

After a few more moments of listening to Jasper struggle to shift the supplies, Sophia managed to open her eyes...only to see the world blurred and shifting around her...bringing with it a fresh wave of nausea. The bright light of day did little to improve her vision.

"Sophia?" Jasper came into view, looking down. "You're awake. Making me worry again, kid."

The worry, and dark circles under Jasper's eyes made Sophia feel increasingly terrible. It was clear that she'd not had much rest.

"Sorry." Sophia mumbled, tears beginning to leak down her face.

"Hey, hey." Jasper dabbed at Sophia's tears with the corner of a blanket. "I know you don't feel right now. And I can't imagine how much you're hurting...but I need you to hold on for just a little longer."

Sophia swallowed, her throat burning and raw. The simplest breath felt like sandpaper on her tender skin.

"Can you do that for me?" Jasper pursued.

"Mm." Sophia nodded slightly.

"Good girl." Jasper disappeared out of view. "Now...I've been looking around. I found an old truck at the back of the house. It's not got a lot of fuel left...but it will get us at least to the town. Even if we stay offroad."

"Offroad?" Sophia managed, grimacing as she spoke.

"Can't risk running into a group of walkers like the one you mentioned." Jasper answered.

That made sense. Sophia was injured...and sick- and Jasper was fighting exhaustion. They'd make for the world's worst walker killing team- they'd end up becoming walkers themselves. The thought of that alone sent further shivers down Sophia's spine- she wouldn't dwell on that any longer.

"Hopefully we'll find another vehicle in town. If not...well. We'll cross that bridge when...or if...we come to it." Jasper continued.

Leaning back, Sophia listened as Jasper seemed to slow down a little- rubbing the last remnants of sleep from her eyes.

"We're almost all packed." Jasper explained, coming back into view. "Just got to get you down there."

The thought of moving, with her body in so much pain, elicited a sob from Sophia. How was Jasper going to move her, when the pain was so intense that her whole body shook? Noticing her panic, Jasper placed a hand on each of Sophia's shoulders, a warm smile on her face. A reassuring expression. Almost like the look her Mother would give her if her Father shouted.

"I know it's going to hurt." Jasper spoke simply. "But I can't leave you here. We need to get you to those antibiotics. Quickly. Are you ready?"

When Sophia nodded her consent, Jasper began to cautiously tuck the covers around the young girl- grimacing as Sophia cried out in pain. Taking great care to ensure that the young girl was as comfortable as possible, Jasper reached one arm under Sophia's back, and another under her knees. After a moment, Jasper took a deep breath to calm her own nerves- making sure that Sophia only saw her confident exterior. She had to be strong- whilst Sophia couldn't do that for herself.

"One…" Jasper took a deep breath, crouching down slightly.

Sophia whimpered.

"It's going to be ok…" Jasper continued. "Two…"

A moment passed. Jasper looked down at Sophia one final time, concern written clearly on her tired face.

"Three." Jasper slowly began to get up.

Even though Jasper took great care not to jostle Sophia too much…going as slow as possible...

Sophia still passed out before Jasper could even straighten up...

Finally giving in to her exhaustion.

* * *

 _Shouting. Screaming. Crashing. That's what she had woken up to...for the third time that week. Her Dad's mood had grown increasingly worse since he was let go from his most recent job...and, as per usual, he had begun taking it out on Sophia and her Mom._

 _With the shouting being a regular thing, she should have been used to it...but who could ever get used to their own Dad abusing their Mom?_

 _Abuse._

 _She'd heard the other parents...and her teachers...whisper that word behind her back at school. And now? Sophia was getting old enough to understand what that meant. It meant that the way her Dad treated her Mom- and herself- wasn't normal._

 _Her stomach growling in anticipation of breakfast, she decided to brave the tense situation downstairs. Sure, her Dad would yell at her- but he'd not laid a hand on her…_

 _Yet._

 _Wrapping her old, worn dressing gown around her, she slid her feet into the new slippers that she'd gotten for her birthday...before quietly heading downstairs._

 _The sight that greeted Sophia…_

 _Would haunt her dreams for weeks._

 _Her Mom, crying and beaten bloody, was cowering by the front door, holding her trembling arms out in front of her…_

 _And her Dad…_

 _Was leaning over her…_

 _Ready to smack her across the head…_

 _With his steel baseball bat._

* * *

The sound of an engine cutting out was what finally roused Sophia from her terrifying fever-dream. Listening as Jasper sighed...seemingly with relief...Sophia forced herself to open her eyes. The wave of nausea that hit her immediately almost forced her to close her eyes again- the pain tempting her back into sleep. But the sound of Jasper fiddling with something on the car, coupled with a few curses...convinced Sophia to keep her eyes open. Swallowing, trying to calm the burn in her throat, she turned to face Jasper, the smallest motion sending waves of pain down her leg.

"Jasper?" Sophia's voice was hoarse.

Startled, Jasper swore, placing a hand on her heart as she turned to face her young companion. Almost immediately, she relaxed- relieved to see Sophia was finally awake.

"You are going to be the death of me." Jasper joked lightheartedly, trying to brighten Sophia up as best she could.

A moment of silence passed- before either of them spoke. Both of them were fighting exhaustion...and Sophia was fighting an infection to boot.

"Did we make it?" Sophia croaked out.

"Just barely." Jasper gestured to their surroundings.

True to Jasper's words, the car's engine had finally run out of fuel, putting them on the town's borders...right by the aging sign. They really had made it by the skin of their teeth- only just getting there. Judging by the look on Jasper's face, it had been close. They'd gotten lucky. Again. How long would their luck keep them going?

"Got us closer than I thought." Jasper tried to lighten the mood again. "But we need to get going."

Jasper took a moment to think, forehead creasing as she pondered their next move.

"It's gonna be hard to move you...and our supplies." Jasper sighed. "I don't want to leave you by yourself for too long."

Too exhausted to even speak a few more words, Sophia was forced to remain silent...watching as Jasper struggled to hide her stress.

"I'm going to see if I can siphon some fuel." Jasper finally decided. "Then we can drive right up to the pharmacy."

Jasper reached into her jean pocket, and produced the familiar little knife that she'd leant to Sophia the day before. Placing it in Sophia's lap, she looked the younger girl in the eyes, expression moving from calm...to grim and serious.

"I'll be as fast as I can." Jasper produced her hunting knife again, reaching for the car's keys. "I'm so sorry."

Sophia smiled sadly, unable to say anything to ease Jasper's conscience. She knew that Jasper had to go, and that was okay- but she couldn't muster the strength to even say that. As she watched Jasper hop out the vehicle, fuel canister in hand, wielding her hunting knife, Sophia found herself struggling to keep her eyes open once again.

And, as Jasper locked the doors before running off…

Sophia gave in to the darkness again.

* * *

 _Sophia's cry stops her Dad in his tracks- baseball bat hovering just inches from her Mom's bruised face. Breathing heavily, face red with anger, her Dad turns to face her. His eyes burn with pure, unbridled fury- an expression unlike any she'd ever seen before. He was almost like animal- wild and unpredictable. And her Mom was his prey- cowering beneath him as she trembled._

 _"The hell are you looking at?!" her Dad demands, turning to face her._

 _"Sophia." her Mom speaks weakly. "Go back upstairs, sweetie."_

 _"I don't want to leave you." Sophia protests._

 _"Listen to your Mother." her Dad almost growls._

 _Tears pooling in her eyes, she dares to take a step forward- desperate to save her Mom...to comfort her. But her Dad holds the baseball bat in her direction, hand shaking with anger...and she is forced to run back upstairs…_

 _Leaving her Mom…_

 _At her Dad's feet._

* * *

The town itself was more a ghost town than anything else. Rusting cars, left out in months of bad weather, lined the streets- full of rotten and decomposing bodies. Grass, left untended, was beginning to take over the streets- growing through potholes and cracks in the aging concrete. Strangely, the streets themselves were clear, with not a single soul in sight- alive or otherwise. But Jasper knew the silence likely wouldn't last long- so she picked up the pace, coming up to the first vehicle in her sight. Moving cautiously, she inspected the rotting bodies in the seats- dry heaving at the intense stench. Luckily, the bodies all bore some kind of mark on their heads- someone had already put them down. Letting out a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding, Jasper opened the fuel cap on the car's side.

Sliding a plastic tube in, she took another look around, before taking a deep breath. Gagging, she quickly moved away from the tube- hooking up the fuel canister. Looking around, Jasper squinted- focusing on Sophia in the distance. Satisfied that no walkers seemed to be around the sick girl, Jasper turned back. Sighing with relief, she actually had to unhook the fuel canister- her quick search had yielded results.

Which meant that, soon, they'd be able to get Sophia's medicine- and she was going to need a lot. Securing the cap on the fuel canister, Jasper retrieved the plastic tube, before picking up the makeshift fuel kit. Turning her hunting knife in her free hand, she looked back in Sophia's direction- and felt her blood run cold.

Half a dozen walkers had surrounded the truck- and judging by the sound of smashing glass...time was running out.

Heart pounding, Jasper set off at a sprint.

"SOPHIA!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, a chill running down her spine.

* * *

 _Sophia sat nervously outside the Principal's office, swinging her leg as she tried to eavesdrop._

 _"Mr and Mrs Peletier…" the Principal started. "Do you know why I've asked you to come in?"_

 _"You said Sophia seemed upset." her Mom spoke._

 _"Yes. She's also been getting distracted in class...and I'm afraid her grades might start to suffer." the Principal continued._

 _"That doesn't sound like our Sophia." her Mom sounded upset._

 _"Often, when children are upset or distracted, it points to some disruption in their home life." the Principal explained._

 _"The hell does that mean?" her Dad spoke up._

 _"Mr Peletier-" the Principal protested._

 _"No. You trying to say we ain't raising our daughter right?" her Dad seethed._

 _Sophia rested her head in her hands- because she knew what she was in for when she got home._

* * *

The sound of someone frantically screaming her name finally roused Sophia. Normally, it would have been her Mother calling her...and in her fevered confusion, it took a moment before things clicked back into place for Sophia. Putting Jasper's face to the worried voice, she struggled...but managed to open her eyes. But the sight that greeted her...almost made her wish she'd stayed unconscious. Half a dozen walkers, all in varying states of decay, had her surrounded- and one was already coming through the windscreen, its gaping maw dripping with blood and bits of gore.

Had her throat allowed it, Sophia would have been screaming herself hoarse...but all she could do was cry...and get as far back in the seat as she could. Trembling with fear and growing tiredness, Sophia held up her borrowed knife. Watching, as the walker's snapping jaw grew ever closer, Sophia prepared herself.

But...she didn't even have to move a muscle.

With a scream not unlike a battle cry, Jasper cast the fuel kit aside, before using all her strength to pull the walker backwards- grimacing as pieces of flesh stuck to the broken windscreen.

Pulling harder on the walker's legs, Jasper moved fast- stabbing it in the back of the head as soon as it was free of the broken glass. Barely missing a beat, now splattered with blood, she dragged the downed walker off the truck- attracting the attention of the other shambling undead. Calling out impressive curse words, Jasper began drawing the walkers away from Sophia, hunting knife poised and at the ready.

Moving her right leg in one swift motion, Jasper swept her leg under the closest walker's knees. As soon as that walker hit the floor, she moved downward quickly- driving her knife into its skull, before pulling the weapon out just as quickly. Ever vigilant, she dodged as another lunged for her, swiftly moving to the side- jabbing the dagger through the side of its head. Panting, Jasper began to get out of breath- and went to pull her dagger back...only to find it lodged in the walker's skull. The walker wasn't as old and decrepit as the rest- so she should have been more careful...but she didn't have time to think about that.

Scrambling backwards, Jasper had no time before another of the walkers descended on her. Cursing, she struggled to keep it at bay. Looking around wildly, she saw nothing close by that she could utilize. Grimacing, she reached forward- steeling herself before digging her fingers into the walker's eyes. The creature almost howled at her- it's flesh so rotten that her fingers sunk through as if the skin was butter. Dry heaving, Jasper continued moving backwards, getting some distance between herself and the other walkers. Focusing on the one whose head she held in her hands, Jasper began pulling her hands apart with all her might.

Though the adrenaline pumping through her veins was keeping exhaustion at bay, she knew she didn't have long left before she just couldn't fight anymore. So she took a deep breath, before pulling harder. Screaming, she pulled the walker's head apart- quickly closing her mouth as it collapsed into a mushy mess...soaking her in the bloody gore.

Breathing heavily through her nose so as not to swallow any walker blood, Jasper scrambled to her feet, glancing quickly behind herself- before moving to face the remaining two walkers. Looking around, she found herself at the car she'd been taking fuel from only moments ago. Thinking fast, she punched the closest window out- ignoring the pain as she seized a large shard of the now ruined glass. Not missing a beat, she drove the glass into the closest walker's skull.

Before that walker's body had even hit the floor, Jasper was dashing past the final one, skidding to a halt beside the body of the walker whose head had her knife trapped. Heart pumping ever faster, she tugged and tugged at the knife. Desperate, as the walker grew ever closer, she took her uninjured hand, and began smashing at the walker's head, grimacing as each fresh hit hurt her knuckles.

Just as the walker was lunging down at her, the downed walker's head finally caved in- it's skull breaking into a dozen shards. After one final tug, Jasper pulled the knife free- wasting no time in plunging it deep into the final walker's head.

And the walker…

Finally fell to the floor.

With no other walkers in sight, Jasper felt the last dregs of energy finally leave her body. After some effort, she managed to pull her knife free, tucking it into her belt. Taking as deep a breath as she could, through her nose, Jasper struggled to her feet. After allowing herself a moment to catch her breath, she stumbled over to the truck. Rummaging for the keys in her belt, she hastily unlocked the door.

* * *

As Jasper unlocked the door, Sophia could have cried with relief. Those few minutes had felt like an eternity- and it had been terrifying watching her new friend struggle. Fighting her desire to sleep, Sophia embraced Jasper as soon as she opened the car door. Smiling slightly, the older woman returned the embrace, taking care not to get much of any of the gore on Sophia. A few moments passed, before Jasper could bring herself to step back. Handing the keys to Sophia, she reached into the back of the truck where they'd stowed their supplies, rummaging until she found an old cloth, and some water.

Sophia could tell from the hesitation that Jasper didn't want to use the water on herself- but they both knew she had to. After all, she couldn't leave all that walker blood on her mouth. So Sophia leant back against the chair, swallowing to calm the last of her nerves.

A few moments later, Jasper tossed the cloth and bottle back in the truck, before appearing in front of Sophia again- this time fresh-faced and relatively gore-free.

"You alright, Sophia?" Jasper spoke up, still struggling to catch her breath.

"I'm okay." Sophia choked out.

Noticing that it was getting harder for Sophia to stay awake, Jasper moved round to her side of the truck- before retrieving the makeshift fuel kit from where she'd discarded it on the road. Luckily, the tube and fuel canister had been spared in the confusion- so Jasper set to work filling the truck as best she could with what she had. Once satisfied, she carefully put the fuel kit back in the truck, before hopping in to her seat. Reaching across, she made sure that Sophia's door was shut securely, before retrieving the keys and small knife from her younger companion. Closing her door, she turned the keys in the ignition.

The engine sputtered a few times...and both could feel their hearts sinking…

But the engine soon roared to life!

So relieved they could almost cry, the two looked at each other, sharing a moment of companionable silence before Jasper spoke up.

"We're gonna go get your medicine now." she reassured Sophia. "And I know you just want to sleep- but I can't let you do that just yet. Not until we've got you all cleaned up."

Now too exhausted to even speak, Sophia nodded.

"Let's go." Jasper flashed another one of her reassuring smiles.

* * *

After successfully navigating the cracks and potholes of the decaying road, they finally parked outside the Pharmacy. The outside of the store was remarkably untouched- betraying the likely truth that none of the town's inhabitants had made it out alive. As that idea hit Jasper, she felt her heart skip a beat. Could the town's inhabitants still be lurking in the shadows somewhere- their undead corpses lying in wait?

"I'm gonna be as quick as I can." Jasper reassured Sophia, handing her the small knife once more.

Hopping out of the car, Jasper made sure it was locked, before pulling out her trusty hunting knife again. Moving even more cautiously than before, she retrieved an empty satchel from the back of the truck. Her steps quiet, she hooked the bag over her shoulder, before slowly moving towards the Pharmacy's door.

* * *

Once inside, Jasper wasted no time in looking around, stepping over empty and discarded boxes...searching for the all important items that she needed to nurse Sophia back to help. Finding an assortment of bandages and medical micropore tape, she moved quickly and efficiently- constantly looking backwards to ensure that Sophia was safe. They couldn't have a repeat of what happened- Jasper didn't have the energy to fight off all those walkers again.

Taking steady breaths, she moved towards the back of the store. Hesitating, when she saw it poorly lit, Jasper cautiously tapped her knife on the countertop- waiting and listening. When no walkers groaned...or shuffled into view, she jumped over the ruined counter. In her element, she inspected the shelves. Many items had been taken- but Jasper hoped that people hadn't looked too thoroughly. After all, without antibiotics, Sophia's fever could rise to dangerous levels- and she could…

Shaking her head before her brain could continue that train of thought, Jasper nearly cried out in triumph, when she found several packs of the antibiotics they so desperately needed- and sitting next to a large bottle of antibiotic ointment. Allowing herself a moment to rest and catch her breath, Jasper heaved a sigh of relief.

Once a few moments had passed, Jasper packed her bag with the last of the items that they needed, before heading outside. Looking all around, she made sure that no walkers were in sight, before carefully putting the satchel in the back of the truck. Using the very last remnants of energy, Jasper jogged around to her side of the truck, unlocking it before hopping inside- closing the door securely.

"I've got everything we need." Jasper reassured Sophia, who grew more tired by the minute.

Noticing that the sun was starting to get low, she surveyed their surroundings, and saw that a bungalow sat at the start of a long street of houses. Sophia followed her companion's gaze.

"Look good to you?" Jasper spoke quietly, mindful of Sophia's exhaustion.

"Mm." Sophia managed to get out.

"Alright then. Let's get ourselves settled." Jasper clicked her knuckles, wincing as she did so- before starting the truck up again.

Within moments, they were off.

* * *

As the darkness crept in ever faster, Jasper wasted no time in rushing into the bungalow. Normally, she'd wait, and create noise to draw out any walkers that may he inside- so she could take them on out in the open. But they didn't have that luxury. It was getting harder and harder for Sophia to stay awake...and Jasper knew that she herself didn't have long before her body finally gave in to exhaustion. So she moved fast, slamming doors open as she stormed through the house. By some miracle, she found no walkers, no locked doors- nothing. Just a sad, dusty, empty house that looked as if it hadn't been touched in months.

Satisfied, Jasper pulled the back door shut, before looking round the house again. The bungalow itself was small- but it would more than do for the night. The one bedroom, at least, was large- which meant that Jasper could comfortably keep an eye on Sophia. Stretching, to ease her tired limbs, she headed back out to the truck- looking all around as she quietly unlocked the door. Sophia looked up blearily- eyes bloodshot from exhaustion.

Smiling sadly, Jasper spoke up.

"The place is clear." Jasper kept her voice down. "And you've got a big double bed to yourself!"

When Sophia only meekly smiled in response, Jasper swallowed- the kid looked like shit.

Not giving away her concerns, Jasper cautiously picked Sophia up once again- taking great care not to jostle her or move her leg around too much. Staying vigilant, Jasper looked all around her, before she finally stepped inside the bungalow.

Soon, they would both be able to rest.

They definitely needed it.

* * *

With Sophia sitting on the worn couch until Jasper could stop to fix up her leg, a camping light shining on the coffee table in front of her, the older woman got to work unloading the truck. It was going to be tough, with her injured hand- but Jasper knew it had to he done. And quickly. Stubbornly fighting the now burning ache in her arms and legs, Jasper moved swiftly. She dashed backwards and forwards from the truck, haphazardly shoving everything into one messy pile- for the sun had begun to set...and they were running out of time. The knowledge that the light was quickly running out spurred Jasper on- and she was somehow able to pick up the pace, drawing on energy she didn't realize she had left.

Soon, all Jasper had left to do was lock up the truck. Sighing with relief, she glanced to her right…

And felt her blood run cold once more.

A herd of walkers had appeared on the horizon- the sound of their eerie groans just beginning to reach them. Swearing up a storm, heart pumping faster, Jasper hastily locked the truck, pocketing the keys before dashing into the house- securing the front door shut behind her.

Immediately, she began dragging armchairs up to shove against the front door- as a kind of makeshift barricade.

She had to move quickly.

"Jasper?" Sophia sounded confused.

"You said you saw some walkers on the highway- in a large group?" Jasper headed for the kitchen.

As Jasper began tearing the kitchen apart looking for a set of house keys, Sophia took a deep breath. Or as deep a breath as she could manage- given how much her chest hurt.

"Yeah." Sophia struggled to speak.

Jasper tore draws open, discarding their contents on the floor in a desperate search. She cursed when her frantic search yielded no results, but took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. She couldn't break down now. They were in danger- and Sophia needed her.

"There's another group coming up at the end of the street." Jasper dragged the table from the kitchen down the hallway, towards the back door.

"More walkers?" Sophia was starting to panic.

Moving quickly, hearing Sophia's scared tone, Jasper hastily shoved the table up against the back door, using the remaining recliner seat to secure it. Wiping sweat from her face, Jasper looked around wildly, dashing into the bedroom, and pulling the blackout blinds down as far as possible. Moving quicker than she thought she could whilst exhausted, Jasper made quick work of the other blinds in the house- before stopping for just one single moment to catch her breath.

After a moment, she snapped back into action- producing blankets and duct tape from their messy pile of supplies. As the groans of hundreds of walkers drew closer, Jasper started taping the blankets against the blinds- not caring if the blankets were uneven. She especially made sure to cover the windows on the doors, making sure that no light would escape to the outside.

Panting heavily, she collapsed into a heap on the floor- their temporary dwelling finally secure.

Or as secure as she could make it.

As the sound of the walkers groans and cries grew almost deafening- they began to hear them shuffling around the outside to the bungalow. For several moments, the two remained deathly silent- hearts pounding as they wondered if Jasper had moved fast enough.

Those few moments spent in the quiet were terrifying for them both- and all they could do was keep eye contact...and listen to the walkers shambling around just a few feet outside their temporary home.

A minute passed.

Then two.

Then three.

And nothing.

Of course, they could still hear what sounded like hundreds of walkers milling about- but none had tried getting in to the bungalow. Which meant that, by the skin of her teeth, Jasper had somehow managed to secure the home.

So...they could finally relax...at least a little.

After they'd both gotten their breathing under control, Jasper cautiously crawled across the floor- taking great care as she searched for their satchel of medical supplies. Once she found it, she knelt at Sophia's side.

"We need to try and fix this leg of yours." Jasper lowered her voice. "But it's going to hurt, a lot."

Nervous, Sophia couldn't find the words- or energy- to respond.

"Problem is...we need you to stay quiet." Jasper began gently pulling Sophia's blankets off of her.

As Jasper discarded the blanket on the floor, both of them found themselves staring at Sophia's leg in stunned silence.

When she saw the murky yellow liquid seeping through the blood stained bandages…

Sophia simply couldn't take that…

Or the pain…

Anymore…

And passed out.

* * *

 _Her Dad stays silent the entire ride home- but his firm grip on the steering wheel, coupled with a red face...tells her just how angry he is._

 _"Fucking bitch." Her Dad curses, breaking the tense silence._

 _"Please, Ed." her Mom pleads. "Not in front of Sophia."_

 _"That damn kid's the-" her Dad stops, before glancing back at her. "You tell that bitch anything?"_

 _Swallowing, Sophia steels herself- for no matter how she answers…_

 _The end result is always the same._

* * *

Jasper is somewhat relieved when Sophia's head hits the couch cushions behind her. With the kid passed out, it would be alot easier to tend to Sophia's grisly wound. That didn't mean that Jasper was unconcerned by the younger girls' passing out- but she could deal with that later. For now, she had to take advantage of the shitty situation. Sophia becoming unconscious meant that she wouldn't make any noise when Jasper began tending to her wound- and with a herd of walkers outside...that was a blessing.

Placing the satchel on the floor, Jasper quietly rose to her feet, before heading into the kitchen once more. Cautiously looking amongst the mess she'd made, she found an assortment of plastic mixing bowls- perfect for what she needed. Going one step at a time- in an attempt to avoid any creaky floorboards, Jasper was soon kneeling at Sophia's side once more. Setting the bowls out in a row, in height order, she also emptied the satchel of its contents.

The pharmacy raid had, of course, yielded antibiotics, ointment and bandages...but the search had also yielded an assortment of painkillers, a set of scalpels, and a suturing needle to boot. The needle even came with a sizeable roll of suturing thread- which meant that, once she'd cleaned the wound...Jasper could stitch it up properly.

Keeping an eye on Sophia, watching for any sign of her waking, Jasper reached for another large camping light- taking care as she lit it. Satisfied that the blinds, blankets, and duct tape were blocking the lamp's bright lights, Jasper got to work- seizing a bottle of rubbing alcohol...and a small cloth. Dousing the cloth in the alcohol, she cleaned her hands thoroughly, before putting the cloth and alcohol to one side.

Reaching into her belt for the small knife she'd leant Sophia, Jasper coated it in the rubbing alcohol, before leaning forward.

Steeling herself, Jasper took a deep breath,before moving to cut the layer of ruined bandages. Carefully, she peeled the layers back- heart sinking when she saw the true state of the wound underneath. As she chucked the ruined bandages into one of the mixing bowls, Jasper could see the shining, red skin around the wounds edges...as well as the copious amounts of pus and murky fluid leaking from it. The infection had gotten far worse since yesterday- and the multiple delays in their journey had not helped.

Hands steady, Jasper made small incisions along the edge of the wound-quickly moving another cloth under Sophia's leg to soak up the dirty fluids. To some, it would seem strange to add to the wound- but Jasper knew it was necessary for the pus to drain completely before she could even think about sterilizing the wound itself.

Watching, Jasper waited until the murky pus began to show streaks of blood in its midst.

A few minutes passed.

Eventually, after a few long, tense moments, the stream of yellow, murky liquid turned into red, shining blood. Heaving a sigh of relief, Jasper used another cloth to staunch the blood flow- discarding the ruined one into the bowl of dirty bandages.

After a moment or two, Jasper discarded the now bloodied cloth. Inspecting the wound, she grimaced when she saw the damage. Sure, the bone itself had somehow escaped unscathed...but the muscle? That hadn't been so lucky.

It was, with a heavy heart, that Jasper realized that Sophia would never be able to walk quite so right on that leg again.

With guilt weighing down on her, Jasper took a deep breath…

And got to work.

Washing the pus off her hands, Jasper picked up the suturing needle- before dousing it in the rubbing alcohol. Satisfied that the needle was as sterilized as possible- given the circumstances- Jasper reached for the suturing thread. As she threaded the needle, hands steady- she looked up at Sophia. Her young companion's breath was shallow- and with each passing moment...seemed to get worse. Jasper knew she had to work quickly- if Sophia woke up mid-procedure...it could be catastrophic.

Not only would the pain be too much for Sophia to handle...but the noise of her crying out in pain would draw the walkers to them.

"Stay with me, kid." Jasper took a deep breath.

Reaching down into the wound, she took another deep breath to steady herself…

And carefully began to stitch the ruined muscle tissue together, taking care not to touch the bone...or rupture any blood vessels. Without any screens...or monitors to help her keep an eye on Sophia- she'd have to constantly look up to check the young girl's breathing.

With the lack of proper equipment...

And the significant damage to Sophia's leg...

It was going to be a long night.


	4. Cherokee Rose

**Author's Note:**

Hey there! Thanks for clicking on my fanfiction, **Sophia's Lost Days.** This is an idea that I've had floating around in my head for some time- and since I've been rewatching the series, I figured it was time to give it a shot.

 _This should be around 13 chapters, each one titled after the respective Season 2 episodes so you have an idea of where the story is in the timeline. The chapters will link to the episode title in one way or another._

 **If this story does well, I will do a sequel following the events of the season 2 and the following seasons.**

Let me know if you guys would prefer longer chapters to be split into two. I'd love to hear any feedback.

A quick heads up- this chapter once again includes mentions of verbal and physical abuse. (Unfortunately that is a significant part of Carol and Sophia's past) If this is a trigger for you, please proceed with caution. I'd hate for anyone to get upset.

 _There is also mentions of the loss of a child._

 **Please also be aware that this chapter is particularly gory. I am holding nothing back in terms of description.**

This chapter is more centered on Jasper, but Sophia will get her chance to shine- I promise.

 **Please enjoy this fourth chapter of Sophia's Lost Days.**

 _Also, thanks for all the positive responses- I won't keep you guys waiting for the next chapter too long! We'll be learning more about Jasper in these next few chapters! I'm glad everyone seems to like her!_

I will also be marking shifts in perspectives, as I want to include a bit of what's going on with the others. Let me know if that works for you all.

 **I'll upload a fifth chapter soon. I had the first three chapters already completed when I published the opening chapter- but now I've run out of completed chapters so I'm going to be updating slightly slower.**

As always, reviews are appreciated- feedback is essential. Helps me know what to change and/or improve upon.

* * *

 **Story Stats!**

 **Reviews:** 7

 _Thanks to all who have reviewed so far!_

 **Favourites:** 2

 _Thanks for the favourites!_

 **Followers:** 7

 _Thank you for following this story!_

 **Word count:** _8,142_ _!_

 **Last Edited:** 18/3/18 (Grammatical errors corrected)

* * *

 **Chapter 4 -**

 _Cherokee Rose -_

* * *

 ** _With Jasper and Sophia…_**

* * *

 _As Jasper paused outside the waiting room door, she had to take a deep breath- or the tears that were running down her face would turn into full blown sobs. She was about to deliver news that no parent should ever have to hear. News that she herself prayed she'd never have to hear again._

 _Jasper just spent the better part of 9 hours assisting on a brain tumour removal. The surgery itself was fairly routine- except that they'd been performing the surgery on an 11 year old girl- not much older than Jasper's own child._

 _Normally, the surgery would have been done at around the 6 hour mark…_

 _But just as the 6 hour mark passed…_

 _The tumour had spontaneously ruptured- causing a catastrophic haemorrhage that quickly flooded the brain._

 _They'd been unable to control the bleeding and stabilize the girl…_

 _And as a result…_

 _She'd died._

 _An 11 year old girl, Amelia..._

 _Had died right in front of Jasper's eyes…_

 _And she was unable to do anything to save her._

 _What made it worse was that, only hours earlier, Jasper had been talking to the little girl. The girl had been surprisingly cheerful- and as her appointed surgeon's assistant...had put her trust in Jasper. In those few hours before the surgery, Jasper had learned alot about Amelia._

 _Her old, worn plush bunny rabbit was called Peter Rabbit. Which was, coincidentally, her favourite stories._

 _Amelia's favourite food was, as most child's was, chocolate pudding._

 _Her favourite colour was purple…_

 _And...she'd said her favourite Doctor was Jasper._

 _Taking another deep, shuddering breath, Jasper wiped the tears from her face. Whilst she was hurting, there would be another person who'd be hurting even more. Straightening up, she finally entered the private waiting room...where a tired looking, grey haired woman waited._

 _Amelia's Grandmother._

 _The parents had died in a car crash many years ago...likely the same accident that lead to the girl's intense brain trauma. The little girl's Grandmother had immediately taken over quickly being formally recognized as Amelia's guardian. From how Jasper had seen the two interact...they seemed very close._

 _Which would make the news of Amelia's death particularly devastating._

 _"Mrs Smith?" Jasper spoke up._

 _The woman's head turned to face her- the dark circles under her eyes betraying her inner exhaustion. Tears stained her weary face. And her hopeful expression broke Jasper's heart. It took all she had not to burst into tears._

 _"How is she?" Mrs Smith spoke. "How's my little Amelia?"_

 _Amelia._

 _A name and face that she'd never forget._

 _"Mrs Smith…" Jasper sat down beside the tired woman, before taking a deep breath. "There was...a complication, during the surgery-"_

 _Before Jasper could even continue, Mrs Smith's face paled. A moment of silence passed between them, before the older woman finally spoke up._

 _"She's gone, isn't she?" the woman swallowed._

 _The words, spoken so quietly, made Jasper's heart ache._

 _"I...I'm so sorry." Jasper took another deep breath. "The tumour spontaneously ruptured, which caused a severe bleed which we...just couldn't get under control."_

 _"No…" the Grandmother locked eyes with Jasper._

 _"I'm so incredibly sorry for your loss."_

 _"I've lost my son, my daughter in law...and now I've lost my only grandchild."_

 _"I can only imagine the pain you must be going through-"_

 _"No. You can't. You can't even begin to imagine what this is like!"_

 _As the Grandmother descended into a mess of tears, Jasper looked away for one moment- to compose herself, before she spoke up again. Focusing on the Grandmother, she forced a tired smile on her face._

 _"I have a little girl." Jasper started. "She's eight now- just started 3rd Grade."_

 _Amelia's grandmother looked up blearily, tears streaming down her face._

 _"What-" the Grandmother seemed confused._

 _"Her name's Annie." Jasper continued. "I named after her Grandmother."_

 _Amelia's grandmother remained silent._

 _"She's a blessing. And I thank whoever's up there that I have her." Jasper swallowed. "But she wasn't my first."_

 _Amelia's grandmother looked up._

 _"I had a boy, back when I was just coming out of high school." Jasper continued. "He was 1- and from the moment he was born...he was always getting sick."_

 _Shocked, Amelia's grandmother was lost for words._

 _"And he died, during his first birthday party. He was gone by the time we got to the Hospital." Jasper clasped her hands together._

 _A moment of silence passed._

 _"It destroyed me, but…" Jasper carried on. "I'm still here."_

 _Amelia's grandmother wiped the tears from her eyes._

 _"The point I'm trying to make, Mrs Smith...is that it is hard...extremely hard, to lose a child." Jasper continued. "But...you...learn to live with it. You will carry that loss with you, but you'll learn to cope."_

 _Amelia's grandmother listened intently._

 _"One day, you'll start to heal. It might take a while- and it won't be easy...but you'll get there." Jasper concluded. "You'll be alright. It just...takes a while to heal."_

 _Noting that Amelia's grandmother had calmed down as much as she could- given the circumstances, Jasper smiled slightly._

 _"Amelia." the Grandmother spoke up. "Did she...say anything...before you put her under?"_

 _Jasper took a deep breath, and recalled Amelia's last moments of consciousness._

 _ **"Mrs Jasper?" Amelia spoke up.**_

 _ **Jasper finished administering the anaesthesia.**_

 _ **"Yes, Amelia?" Jasper smiled.**_

 _ **"Will it hurt?" Amelia asked.**_

 _ **Jasper smiled again.**_

 _ **"No, honey. You won't feel a thing. It'll just be like taking one long nap." Jasper explained simply.**_

 _ **"Oh. That's ok then!" Amelia shrugged.**_

 _ **Amelia's optimism and smile in the face of such a daunting operation...was refreshing.**_

 _ **"Want me to say anything to your Grandma for you?" Jasper moved closer to Amelia.**_

 _ **"Hmmm…" the little girl thought.**_

 _ **"You don't have to." Jasper chuckled.**_

 _ **"I want to. Um…" Amelia thought again.**_

 _ **"Amelia?" Jasper took a step forward.**_

 _ **"Tell Grandma that I think she's the best second Mom in the whole world! And that her flapjacks are the best...when they aren't burnt." the little girl beamed.**_

 _ **"Alright, Amelia." Jasper laughed. "I will."**_

 _ **"Thank you…" Amelia yawned as the anaesthesia began to kick in. "You're my favourite doctor person."**_

 _Taking another deep, shuddering breath, to contain her own emotions, Jasper managed to find the courage to talk again._

 _"She wanted me to tell you…" Jasper locked eyes with Amelia's grandmother._

 _"What? What did she say?" the Grandmother listened carefully._

 _"She wanted you to know that you're the best second Mom in the world." Jasper felt her heart break._

 _"Oh, my little girl…" the Grandmother began to cry again._

 _"She also wanted you to know that your flapjacks are the best." Jasper paused. "When they aren't burnt."_

 _Amelia's Grandmother started laughing, despite the tears streaming down her face._

 _"Thank you." she embraced Jasper. "Thank you so much."_

 _"For what, Mrs Smith?" Jasper awkwardly patted the woman's back._

 _"For being there for Amelia." the Grandmother smiled sadly._

* * *

Jasper bolted upwards from her uncomfortable nest of bedding and cushions on the floor beside Sophia's bed. Groaning, she rubbed her aching neck. She'd not dreamt of that night for many, many years- it had been the first patient that she'd ever lost...and it evidently still affected her more than she realized. More than she would ever care to admit. No one could get over losing a child- not really. The fact that little Amelia had practically died in Jasper's arms still sent chills down her spine all these years later- and had painfully reminded her of her first child. And seeing Sophia so sick? That had brought back all those many, painful memories.

Jasper turned to look at Sophia- ever so slightly comforted by the steady rise and fall of the girl's chest. Sophia's breathing sounded better, and whilst the fever seemed to be staying, it hadn't drastically increased overnight. Which meant that Jasper's extensive work on Sophia's leg had paid off. Yet, that in itself would mean nothing if Sophia didn't wake soon- Jasper had to get the antibiotics in her...and quickly.

"Come on kid." Jasper sighed. "I know you're in there somewhere."

Settling back in to her makeshift nest of bedding, Jasper sighed- she knew she wasn't likely to get back to sleep anytime soon. But she knew she had to try- she was no use to Sophia if she was on the verge of passing out.

* * *

 _"You been telling lies?!" her Dad demands._

 _He has Sophia cornered in the kitchen- her Mom at her side, almost shielding her with her outstretched arm. The ride home had been silent and tense...and now that they were home..the tension was boiling over._

 _"Ed, I'm sure Sophia was just-" her Mom starts._

 _"Shut up, woman!" her Dad screams._

 _Her Mom flinches, but stays at Sophia's side._

 _"Now. Tell me." her Dad turns to face Sophia..._

 _Eyes red with fury._

* * *

As Sophia woke, she found that, compared to the day before...she was oddly comfortable. And, given what she'd experienced...it seemed strange. Had Jasper managed to fix her leg, despite the knowledge of the walker herd outside...and her own exhaustion? As each passing moment gave Sophia another question, she managed to open her eyes. Once again, she was greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling. With one exception- this time, Sophia knew that she wasn't alone. As her thoughts drifted to her new friend, Sophia turned her head...and found Jasper sleeping uneasily beside the bed- wrapped in a mixture of blankets. Dark circles beneath the woman's eyes showed her exhaustion- and Sophia found that her heart sunk. All that the woman had done had been for her. More than her own Father would have done.

Before she had a chance to think of what to say, Sophia watched as Jasper began to stir. As soon as the woman's eyes opened, they landed on Sophia- and widened. Bolting upwards, Jasper was immediately kneeling at Sophia's side, smiling.

"You're awake!" the woman sighed with relief. "You're awake."

After a moment, Jasper stretched- and slowly rose to her feet. As she yawned, the dim light began to leak through cracks in the duct-tape and blankets, making her appear more gaunt than ever. And yet, the older woman smiled.

"I'm gonna go get the antibiotics." Jasper dusted her hands off, before glancing at the blocked-off window. "And...see if we still have company."

"Okay." Sophia swallowed- her throat still burned.

Within moments of disappearing out of sight, Jasper was back- gripping a cup of water...and a few strange looking pills. The lack of fear on Jasper's face made Sophia hope that meant the walker herd outside was gone.

"Are the walkers gone?" Sophia coughed.

"Most of them. There's a few left." Jasper handed Sophia the pills and cup of water. "I'll deal with them in a bit."

"Aren't you tired?" Sophia grimaced as she swallowed the pills.

"I'm alright." Jasper smiled. "Now that you're awake."

After a moment of awkward silence passed, only permeated by the groans of the lingering walkers outside, Sophia spoke up.

"When are we going?" She managed.

"After we've had lunch later. I need to make sure we're clear. We also need to give the antibiotics time to work." Jasper explained.

"Oh. Ok." Sophia nodded, grasping the empty cup- trying to hide her disappointment.

"We'll get you back to your Mom soon." Jasper smiled reassuringly. "I promised, didn't I?"

When Sophia smiled in response, Jasper found herself more at ease. The young girl seemed in good spirits- despite how sick she looked. Which meant that her condition had somewhat improved since the night before. The clean wound was likely the cause. That, and a good few hours out cold.

"I'm going to clear out those walkers." Jasper handed Sophia the pocket knife again. "I'm going to shut the door- stay quiet, and you'll be fine."

"Okay." Sophia grasped the knife tightly.

As Jasper exited the room, she paused in the doorway- to look back at Sophia.

"You'll be back with your Mom soon, Sophia." Jasper reassured the young girl. "I won't let anything happen to you."

And with that, she left, closing the door behind her.

* * *

 ** _Elsewhere…_**

* * *

As he approached the house, Daryl raised his crossbow. Whilst he couldn't see any tracks belonging to Sophia, it was still worth investigating the house. It was the only real shelter remotely near the highway- which meant it was a high possibility that Sophia could be there. It was also in the general direction that Sophia could have gone, given where Rick had left her. Even as he found bloodied footprints at the house's doorway, Daryl did not let it get to him. He couldn't entertain the very real possibility that Sophia was hurt...or worse. After all, he couldn't know if the blood was Sophia's. The house was in a vast meadow surrounded by dense woods- anyone could have been there.

Further studying the prints, Daryl found that they led away from the house- something that he could try following after he'd looked around the house. He could also check the three dead walkers stacked beside the house. It'd be grim, but it had to be done- he had to be sure that they'd not found Sophia.

Keeping his guard up, Daryl forced the door open- crossbow aimed and at the , he entered the home. Immediately, he found himself frozen in shock. The kitchen was covered in blood- bits of bone and grisly gore mixed in with the red liquid. The darkness of the blood- and the smell- told him it was walker blood. Likely from the three undead he'd seen outside. Quietly, he moved through the kitchen, quickly noticing the open door- which seemed to lead to a flight of stairs going down. Looking around, to ensure no undead were creeping on him, Daryl moved towards the open basement door.

Wary of the low visibility, the archer moved downwards. He found nothing too outlandish- save for bloody hands on the walls. Maybe the walkers? Perhaps they'd been trapped in the basement- it would explain why their bodies were close by.

As he entered the basement, Daryl found more walker blood- along with a bunch of empty shelves. Judging by some ruined food left behind, whatever was salvageable had likely been taken. Likely by whoever had killed the walkers outside.

Once he found nothing of note, Daryl headed back up the stairs- ever watchful. As he looked, he began to notice spots of blood- marks that grew more frequent up the stairs. Following his instinct, the hunter headed upstairs. Keeping observant, Daryl headed for the room with an open door. It was a bedroom- with two beds. Though one seemed like it'd been hastily dragged in.

Blood and ruined bandages were scattered about, along with empty cans and the lingering smell of burnt beans.

Moving forward, Daryl noticed a glint of blue metal on one of the beds. Heart sinking, Daryl stepped forward- and reached for the object. It was...Sophia's hairclip. The one she used to keep her fringe out of her face. Her favourite one.

Taking a deep breath, Daryl pocketed the hairclip. It wasn't much- but it was something. Something that could give Carol hope.

As he turned to leave, Daryl noticed something by the door…

A doctor's coat…

Stained to hell with blood…

And dripping with walker guts…

Sitting in a heap underneath an all-too-familiar blue shirt…

Sophia's rainbow shirt.

* * *

 **With Jasper and Sophia…**

* * *

With Sophia drifting off to sleep after the antibiotics kicked in, Jasper took the opportunity to head outside. Whilst she'd peeked outside earlier, around dawn, anything could have changed between then and now. There could be any number of walkers outside- so Jasper braced herself. Wrapping a piece of cloth around her mouth as a protective measure against the blood and gore she was about to deal with, Jasper took a deep breath. Reaching for her hunting knife, she gripped the weapon tightly- fighting her exhaustion. She knew she'd have to get this over with quickly- the last few days were starting to get to her.

Shaking her head, Jasper cautiously opened the door- only to come face to face with a grim, decrepit old walker. Heart beginning to pound faster, Jasper reacted quickly- reaching up under its neck to drive the knife into his skull from below. Barely blinking as dark blood splattered across her face, Jasper withdrew the knife with ease- the walker was luckily even more rotten than he appeared. Not missing a beat, she shoved the walker with her free hand- only to have her arm go straight through his ribcage.

Cursing, Jasper found the two of them tumbling to the ground. Almost immediately, Jasper got up- pulling her arm free of the dead walker...grimacing as pieces of rotten lung stuck to her exposed skin. Hearing the groans of a nearby walker, she snapped into action- checking no walkers had entered the house before closing the front door to keep Sophia safe.

Turning, she saw the source of the groans. And her heart sank- she'd been to caught up in stopping the old walker from entering the house to properly look around.

There was at least a dozen walkers approaching...

And one of them…

Was a little girl…

* * *

 _Jasper cursed as she began shoving items into her bag. The sounds of gunshots were getting closer and closer to the apartment- meaning that those...things she'd seen on the news...were getting closer as well. Which meant that she and Annie had to leave. Yes, the news said to stay indoors- but what they'd seen and heard in the past few days completely contradicted that. Apparently, all that could stop these 'shamblers' or 'walkers', as the internet called them- was a blow to the head. Other than that, they couldn't be stopped. With them being in the city center- and given the high population of Atlanta...they'd be stuck if they stayed. They'd have to leave. Keeping ahead of the 'horde' or 'herd' as people were calling it on the radio before it stopped broadcasting...was the only way to stay alive._

 _"Mom?" Annie's voice made Jasper's heart sink._

 _Turning, she faced her young girl. She felt desperately sorry for her- only yesterday, Annie had turned ten. And they'd not even been able to celebrate properly. The army had the city on lockdown- no one in or out. They could just about make it to the line for rations._

 _"Yes, sweetie?" Jasper paused, walking over to Annie before kneeling in front of her._

 _"Are we leaving?" Annie sniffed, tears beginning to trickle down her face._

 _Swallowing, Jasper had to fight back her own urge to cry._

* * *

The little girl walker might have been the furthest away- but Jasper could see the moving corpse all too clearly. Her face was a mess of nail marks- deep scratches that had gouged out sizeable ribbons of flesh...deep enough to expose the muscle and bone underneath. Yet that poor girl's mutilated face wasn't the worst thing. No...it was her thin, starved body- with her stomach ripped open, guts dropping out of her body to trail on the ground behind her.

Dry-heaving, Jasper began moving away from the house.

She couldn't….

She just...

* * *

 _Forcing a smile onto her face, Jasper took Annie's hands in her own. She couldn't afford to break down now- she had a daughter. And that daughter need her, now more than ever. And so, Jasper steeled herself- this wasn't going to be easy._

 _"Yeah, we have to go." Jasper finally spoke up._

 _"But the tv man said to stay inside." Annie pouted, red hair tousled from an uneasy night's sleep._

 _"He did, baby."_

 _"Then why do we have to go?"_

 _"Because the tv man was wrong, sweetie."_

 _"Oh."_

 _"Come on. You need to pack a few things."_

 _"Like what?"_

 _"Some clothes…"_

 _Jasper paused._

 _"You know what? I'll help you pack." she smiled sadly._

 _"Thanks, Mom."_

 _"You're welcome, baby."_

* * *

Jasper's heart was pounding. Normal walkers had stopped frightening her a long time ago- she'd had to get over that fear pretty quickly to stay alive. But an undead child? That was still enough to send chills down her spine. After all, there weren't many young walkers around- despite the vast volume of undead. Children were small...which meant there was rarely enough left of them to turn.

Tears streaming down her face, Jasper looked around.

The walkers were closing in.

* * *

 _After a few minutes, Annie was packed. Other than clothes and a spare pair of shoes, she'd of course insisted on packing her favourite teddy bear- a brown bear she'd had since she was born. A bear she'd affectionately called Toffee. The toy was threadbare, and had been stitched together by Jasper more times than she could count- but Annie still treated it as if it was the latest, shiniest toy. The girl was happy with the simplest of things- something Jasper was grateful for. Even with being a surgical resident, she still lived in an expensive city._

 _"Mom?" Annie's scared voice snapped Jasper out of her thoughts._

 _"What is it, sweetie?" Jasper turned round._

 _Annie's gaze was focused on the doorway, her eyes wide with fear._

 _"I can hear them...in the hallway." Annie trembled._

 _Jasper's blood ran cold._

 _They'd been found._

* * *

Tears streaming down her face, Jasper struck out at the closest walker with her knife- driving the weapon deep into the base of it's skull...before shoving it aside as she withdrew her blade...allowing rotten brains to splatter onto the ground, some sticking to her hand. Panting heavily, eyes wide, Jasper barely had time to catch her breath before another of the shambling undead lunged at her. Just before it's gore-covered hands could grasp her, however, Jasper ducked. Moving round the back of the walker, she jabbed the knife into the back of its head- the rotten flesh caving in with the force of the blow. Cursing, Jasper kicked the walker away- unflinching as the sound of breaking ribs pierced her ears.

Looking around wildly, Jasper cursed when the remaining walkers drew closer…

Bringing the dead girl into her line of sight.

* * *

 _Jasper quietly rose to her feet, taking her hunting knife- an old gift from Annie's father, out of her belt. Turning the knife carefully in her right hand, she took a deep breath to steady her building nerves. Moving cautiously, she came to stand in front of Annie- knife pointed at their apartment's door. She'd never felt so terrified in her entire life- after all, who wouldn't be scared of the dead coming back to life to cannibalize the living? Jasper knew she couldn't show or vocalize her fear- not while Annie stood behind her. Not while she had a daughter to protect._

 _"Annie, go to your room and shut the door." Jasper kept her voice down, as the sound of the undead groans began to echo down the hall._

 _"What about you?" Annie began to cry._

 _"Do as I say. Now." Jasper spoke firmly._

 _Bursting into tears, Annie fled into her room, slamming the door shut behind her._

* * *

Taking off at a run, Jasper got some distance between herself and the approaching walkers- dodging as they reached for her with crumbling hands. She had to be careful- or she could be overwhelmed. There was still ten of them...and only one of her. But...how could she fight back with any semblance of force when one of those walkers was what was left of a young girl?

* * *

 _Hearing the sound of her neighbours screaming in terror was enough to make tears roll down Jasper's own face- threatening to break her composure. Breathing heavily, Jasper took what she hoped was a good fighting stance- bracing herself for what was to come._

 _All too soon, the door began shaking- walkers had begun pounding on the thin slab of wood. It wasn't going to hold for long._

* * *

Now approaching the car whose windows she'd shattered only the day before, Jasper took in her current predicament. She was soon going to be overwhelmed- all because she couldn't stand the sight of that little girl. Because she'd allowed her fear to take over.

Grimacing, Jasper turned her knife in her hand.

It couldn't end this way.

Not now.

* * *

 _Before long, the door splintered- swinging open wildly as three walkers stumbled through the door. Their eerie groans permeated the air along with the overwhelming stench of death. These walkers were new, fresh- save for the fact that their chests had been torn open and devoured. Which meant that they still had the same strength that their live selves once possessed. And, judging by the groans coming from the hallway- there were more not far behind. Swallowing, Jasper raised her knife- but not before the largest one grabbed a hold of her, it's speed and strength taking her by surprise._

 _They struggled, eventually causing Jasper to trip over the glass coffee table. With an unceremonious crash, Jasper fell through the table, crying out as a large shard dug into her back, digging deep into her flesh. Winded by the fall and the new wound, Jasper lay there for a moment. The large walker descended on her, it's gaping maw spilling blood and strings of flesh onto her front._

 _Screaming, Jasper reached up with her hunting knife- and somehow managed to drive the weapon far into the side of the walker's head, sobbing as blood spilled out onto her hand._

 _Panting heavily, she cried out again as the heavy walker landed on top of her. The weight of the corpse forced Jasper further back onto the ground- and she felt her heart skip a beat as the shard of glass digging deep in her back sliced clean through her. In shock, and burning pain, she somehow managed to force the walker off off her before it's bloodied skin could come into contact with her new wound._

 _Jasper lay there for a moment, still reeling from shock and pain._

 _After a few seconds, she realized that the other two walkers were nowhere to be seen…_

 _And Annie's door had been forced open._

* * *

With rage beginning to build in her as old memories forced their way to the surface, Jasper let out a scream not unlike a battle cry. Charging forward, she drove her knife into the nearest walker's forehead- driving the weapon far into it's rotten head. Not missing a beat, she tugged the weapon free- kicking the downed walker away before moving quickly to the next one. Grimacing, she jabbed at it's head- but missed as it lunged for her.

With teeth stained red with blood, the walker almost had its teeth around Jasper's neck- before she managed to move aside and jab the knife into the side of the shambling walker's head, splintering the bone beneath the thin layer of dead flesh.

Jasper looked at the last eight walkers, before surveying her surroundings. Thinking quickly, she clambered on top of the car next to her, scrambling to kneel on top. From here- out of the walkers' reach, she could catch her breath.

After a moment, she got her breathing under control. Examining each walker in turn, she found the largest and tallest of them- a hulking beast- the guts of its victims strung over him like a crude scarf. It almost seemed to smile at her- torn flesh exposing his yellowed teeth. Grimacing, Jasper steeled herself, before she rose to her feet.

With one quick motion, she kicked the large walker away from the car- before leaping from the top of the vehicle. She ignored the pain in her knees as she collided with the ground. The walker quite literally crumbled beneath her as her hands- outstretched to steady herself, punched clean through his dead and decrepit flesh. Weakened ribs cracked and crumbled- and Jasper had to remove her hands quickly before splinters of bone could pierce her skin.

Rolling out of the way as another walker reached down for her, Jasper moved onto her back and reached up to jab the walker under its chin- flesh caving in as bone splintered and muscle tore. As the walking corpse's eyes bulged from the pressure of the knife in its brain, Jasper swiftly withdrew the weapon.

Scrambling to her feet, Jasper again moved away from the remaining six walkers- grateful that she was unable to see the undead girl. Looking around, she allowed herself a moment of relief- no other walkers had joined the fray.

Taking another deep breath, Jasper took a risk- running forward to stab the closest walker through its left eye. Stomach turning as the eye stuck to the knife once she withdrew the blade, she reacted quickly to another walker grabbing at her. Ducking under it's arms, she kicked at its legs, breaking the brittle bones with ease. When that walker had fallen to the ground, she took out another, knife slicing through the side of another corpse's head.

Pulling out her knife, Jasper felt her knees give way- and found herself lying flat on her back. Stunned, she realized, with a hint of growing fear...that her exhaustion was catching up with her. The adrenaline rush she'd been riding to fight these walkers was soon going to run out. She had to be faster. There was no way that she was going to let any of the walkers get remotely near Sophia.

She only had four corpses after her. The fight was almost over. Jasper had to hold out just a few more minutes. Turning her knife in her hand, Jasper allowed another walker to get closer to her- until it's fingers ghosted over her neck- before she stuck her knife in the center of its forehead.

One down.

Three to go.

With renewed confidence at seeing the near end of the fight, Jasper struck out- knife gouging through the side of the nearest corpse's head. With practiced ease, she pulled the knife free- along with a sizeable chunk of greying brain. Shoving the downed walker away, Jasper immediately stabbed her knife into another shambling walker's head, this time driving upwards from the chin.

As she looked to the two remaining walkers…

Jasper felt her new confidence begin to fade away…

When she looked behind the tallest undead corpse...

As she saw the little girl.

* * *

 _Gasping with pain, Jasper managed to turn over, onto her front. The feel of the glass impaling her flesh made her stomach turn- but she couldn't lie there. Her hands shaking, she used her elbows to lean on- before getting on to her hands and knees. Watching, as blood- her blood- dripped onto the stained floor beneath her, Jasper reached out a trembling hand to retrieve her knife. Struggling, she pulled the knife free of the downed corpse's skull._

 _"Mommy!" Annie screamed._

 _Annie hadn't called her Mommy since she was a toddler._

 _Ignoring the pain coursing through her veins, Jasper scrambled to her feet. Stumbling, she left a bloody handprint on the wall as she moved forward. As she entered Annie's room, her blood ran cold._

 _She was too late._

* * *

Jasper stepped backwards as a choked sob escaped her lips, tears beginning to roll down her face as she was forced to look at the undead child. Her whole body beginning to tremble as the last dregs of adrenaline began to fade away, Jasper was forced backwards. As the last two walkers advanced, dripping blood in their wake, she found herself starting to cry.

Almost frozen in fear, Jasper let her knife slip from her grip…

And clatter to the ground.

* * *

 _Jasper remained frozen for a moment, powerless as she saw the other two walkers digging in to her little girl. One had its jaws clamped over her neck, almost sucking at the tender flesh beneath. And the other…_

 _Jasper cried with rage as the corpse's bloody hands dug into her...her baby's stomach._

 _Pushing past her own pain, Jasper pulled the walker away from digging through her daughter's stomach contents. In one swift motion, she stabbed the corpse through the side of its head, before moving to drag the other walker away. Quickly, she jabbed the hunting knife into the back of the other shambling corpse's skull._

 _Growing frantic, Jasper shoved the walker away- casting her blade aside._

 _Moving cautiously, she took her daughter into her arms- cradling her the way she used to when Annie was just a baby._

 _Looking down, Jasper wasn't sure that her heart could break anymore…_

 _But it did._

 _When she took in the guts pulled out of Annie's stomach and splayed across them both..._

 _When she saw Annie's throat torn open…_

 _Her heart shattered._

 _"Oh, my little girl…" Jasper looked down at her daughter's face._

 _Annie's eyes were closed...almost as if she were asleep._

 _Just as her tears turned into full blown sobs, she found herself staring in disbelief as Annie's eyes blearily slid open._

 _"M-" Annie managed to choke out._

 _As her little girl struggled to string a word together, Jasper reached a hand up to gently stroke Annie's cheek._

 _"Shh…" Jasper spoke soothingly. "It's alright, Annie. Mommy's here."_

 _Her body shaking, Jasper watched as Annie gasped, blood bubbling in her grisly throat wound._

 _"H-" Annie choked. "H...hu...hurts."_

 _"I know, baby. I know."_

 _"H...h…"_

 _Before Jasper could say anything else, Annie's eyes glazed over…_

 _And she stopped breathing._

 _"No…" Jasper sobbed._

 _She was gone._

 _Her baby, her Annie…_

 _Was gone._

 _"No...no no no no no…" Jasper cried._

 _Bringing her daughter close to her chest, pushing aside her own pain, she allowed herself to cry without restraint._

 _"Oh god…" Jasper began to rock backwards and forwards._

 _Her nerves unravelling as her daughter's blood seeped into her clothes, Jasper looked tiredly out the window- numb as she watched the city burn around her._

 _Looking back down to Annie for but a moment, Jasper then raised her head, looking at the ceiling above her…_

 _Before letting out a long, agonized cry._

* * *

Body heaving, wracked with sobs, Jasper stumbled backwards- breathing growing more unhinged as the seconds ticked by. Even as the grown walker shambled towards her, undead child close at his heels, she remained in shock. She thought she could push the memory of Annie dying in her arms to the back of her mind- but she should have known better. Her only child had been torn apart, and bled to death in her arms. Who in their right mind could forget that?

Just as the tallest walker's hands seized her neck, Jasper managed to force herself back into reality. Even though, for a moment, she was tempted to let the walker do its work, what brought her back was Sophia. A little girl was relying on her...and Jasper wasn't about to have another child die. Not on her watch.

Grimacing, Jasper did all she could to steady her breathing, before reaching out to punch the walker in the face. As it stumbled back, arms dropping from her neck, Jasper ducked down. Just as her hands grasped her hunting knife...she found herself looking into the undead girl's yellowed eyes.

* * *

 _Crying tears of pure pain, Jasper clutched her daughter tighter. Heart aching, she ignored the building pain in her wounded side. She ignored the sound of explosions and gunfire outside. Jasper even ignored some of her neighbours crying out for help. All she could focus on was Annie's mutilated corpse in her arms._

 _And the fact that…_

 _She almost seemed to be breathing again._

* * *

Heart skipping a beat, Jasper quickly jolted backwards- away from the child's bloodstained hands. Dodging the other walker as it lunged for her, Jasper drew on her remaining strength, slicing the blade deep into the shambling corpse's skull. As she withdrew the blade, albeit with difficulty, Jasper kept moving backwards.

She may have taken down most of the walkers…

But now?

Now she had to deal with the little girl.

* * *

 _"Annie?" Jasper choked out._

 _As Annie began to stir, Jasper gently moved her daughter- so that she could see her beloved child's face properly. She watched in morbid curiosity as the glaze seemed to disappear from Annie's eyes, replaced with a mist that seemed to turn the girl's once emerald eyes into a hazy grey._

 _Eyes that moved to look at Jasper…_

 _Mouth beginning to open._

* * *

Steeling herself, Jasper went down onto her knees- gripping her hunting knife tightly. Swallowing in an effort to calm her own nerves- and to stop the tears streaming down her face, Jasper allowed the undead child to stumble closer. Facing the corpse, she held up her hunting knife. With her free hand, she gently cupped the little girl's face...and held the knife to the side of the kid's face. Taking a deep breath, Jasper pushed the knife into the little girl's head- grimacing as the sound of the kid's skull cracking permeated her ears.

Allowing her tears to flow freely again, she gently laid the child's corpse on the ground- taking great care to remove the knife without disturbing the flesh further. Gliding her hand over the girl's face, she closed the kid's eyes- before sitting back.

Turning the knife in her hands again, Jasper allowed herself a moment to breathe- before her body began to shake with her cries.

* * *

 _Annie's small hands reached upwards, as small groans began to escape her little mouth. Reeling, Jasper watched as her little girl lunged upwards. Stunned, she scrambled backwards- before reacting on instinct...and picking up her knife. Screaming, as the glass twisted her skin, Jasper reached for her knife- before driving it deep into Annie's head, digging through her forehead until the hilt of her blade touched Annie's skin._

 _"Oh god…" Jasper cried. "Baby…"_

 _She screamed again, heart aching more than it ever had before._

 _"ANNIE!"_

* * *

Sobbing loudly, Jasper managed to struggle upwards, doing her best to compose herself. As she moved to stand upright, she felt a sharp pain in her knees- and found herself looking downwards, heart pounding faster. She was almost relieved that the pain wasn't from a bite- only to curse when she saw the deep gash in each of her kneecaps...and the copious amounts of blood staining her legs. Before she could reach down to inspect the wounds...she saw another walker in the distance...shambling towards the house…

Where Sophia..

Where Sophia was.

Pushing the pain to the back of her mind, Jasper rushed forward, her fear and painful memories masked by her concern for her young companion.

"SOPHIA!"

* * *

 _Her Dad clicks his knuckles, and Sophia feels her heart sink. Surely he wouldn't hurt her? Yes, he'd hurt her Mom many times before- but he'd never touched her._

 _"Ed, please." her Mom begs. "Calm down."_

 _"Too late for that." her Dad seethes._

 _As her Dad takes a step forward, hands clenching into fists, her Mom also steps forward._

 _"Don't do this, Ed." her Mom begs._

 _"Out of the way, woman!" her Dad strikes out._

 _Her Dad's right fist collides with her Mom's face…_

 _And Sophia screams._

* * *

Sophia bolted upwards, eyes wide as she panted heavily- sweat dripping down her back from fever and fear. The shock of her dream barely had time to settle in before she heard the front door creak open...and something shuffle inside. As something began slamming on the bedroom door, Sophia screamed. That definitely wasn't Jasper- Jasper wouldn't scare her like that. Ever. So, it could only be a walker. Almost paralysed with fear, Sophia somehow managed to get Jasper's pocket knife into her hands- reaching up shakily to point the knife at the door.

As the walker burst in, Sophia began to cry. The sight of a corpse with torn flesh dripping from its yellowed teeth would be something she'd never get over.

The walker reached for her, and Sophia's body began to tremble. She was terrified- more than she'd been in the last few days.

But somehow, as the shambling corpse reaches for her...Sophia managed to lean forward...and dig the pocket knife into the walker's skull. Despite her feeble strength and shaking hands, the walker's flesh gave way easily- and the knife was soon embedded in its skull.

Crying, Sophia let go of the knife- and watched as the walker crumpled on top of the bed...before sliding to the floor in a rotten, bloody heap.

* * *

Jasper burst through the door, picking up speed despite her injured legs when she heard Sophia's cries- and soon reached the bedroom doorway. As she surveyed the scene in front of her, Jasper struggled not to cry herself. Sophia was pressed against the headboard, hands coated in dark blood that could only belong to the now unmoving walker on the floor. A walker with a familiar pocket knife embedded in its head- the one that she'd given to Sophia. Which meant that...Sophia had killed the walker.

Limping over the walker's body, Jasper sat on the edge of the bed. Before she could react, Sophia was embracing her- arms tight around the older woman as she cried.

After a moment passed in the midst of her shock, Jasper returned the embrace- holding Sophia tight.

"Shhh…" she spoke soothingly, tears beginning to roll down her own face. "It's alright, Sophia. I'm here…"

Her mind drifted for but a moment, back to her daughter- but Jasper managed to refocus somehow. After putting down the dead girl, she'd been unable to get Annie out of her mind again- but she had to stay composed...for Sophia's sake. So she spoke again, voice firm and unshaken.

"I'm here."

* * *

After Jasper had removed the cloth around her face, dragged the dead walker outside- and cleaned the copious amounts of blood and guts off of herself...they finally had a moment to just sit...and breathe. Neither of them could find the right words to express what they were feeling. After all, Sophia had killed her first walker- and Jasper had been forced to relive the death of her own daughter. Something she would never tell Sophia,, of course. As the minutes ticked by in an uneasy silence, Sophia spoke up- voice full of concern.

"You're hurt." she noticed the deep gashes in Jasper's knees.

"I'm ok." Jasper nodded shakily.

"No….you're not."

"You don't need to worry about me, Sophia."

"But-"

"I'm fine. We're both fine. Let's just...leave it at that for now. Alright?"

* * *

After Jasper had tended to her wounds- at Sophia's urging, the two of them sat down on the couch for a meal. With the antibiotics now coursing through her system, along with some painkillers, Sophia felt infinitely better. Another thing she'd have to thank Jasper for. Watching, as Jasper quietly ate her bowl of lukewarm soup, Sophia found herself looking at Jasper's bandaged knees- under which lay a surprising amount of stitches. The young girl was at a loss. Her new friend had quite literally risked life and limb for her- and all because Sophia reminded her of her dead daughter? Surely there was something more to it.

But, as they continued to sit in silence, Sophia decided not to dwell on it for much longer. This woman was helping her, and seemed happy about doing it. Plus, this same woman was going to get her back to her Mom- so she decided not to question it for now.

"You doing ok?" Jasper spoke up.

Sophia smiled, despite her exhaustion. Whilst it was obvious that something serious had rattled Jasper, the older woman was more concerned with her young companion.

Yeah, Sophia would stop dwelling on the 'why'. What mattered was that, for now, Sophia had a friend.

* * *

After the long, laborious process of clearing up their mess and packing their supplies into the car, Jasper returned to Sophia's side. With each passing moment, the older woman looked more and more exhausted. Almost...drained. And yet her smile did not waver. She retained an aura of calm, something that relaxed Sophia. Which was definitely welcomed- getting back to her Mother was not likely to be easy. Jasper had dealt with the remaining walkers outside, but who knew ow many walking corpses stood between them and the house.

Not only that, but judging by the rumbling outside, they'd soon have a storm to contend with as well.

"You ready?" Jasper approached.

When Sophia nodded, Jasper carefully wrapped the young girl up in the bed's duvet, taking care not to jostle her leg too much. Once Sophia was secure- and warm- Jasper reached one arm under Sophia's legs, her other reaching under the young girl's back. Grimacing, Jasper straightened up- picking her young charge up with difficulty. Before Sophia could voice her concerns at Jasper's show of pain, her older guardian spoke up.

"Let's get out of here. I think we've both seen enough of this place."


	5. Chupacabra

**Author's Note:**

Hey there! Thanks for clicking on my fanfiction, **Sophia's Lost Days**. This is an idea that I've had floating around in my head for some time- and since I've been rewatching the series, I figured it was time to give it a shot.

 _This should be around 13 chapters, each one titled after the respective Season 2 episodes so you have an idea of where the story is in the timeline. The chapters will link to the episode title in one way or another._

If this story does well, I will do a sequel following the events of the season 2 and the following seasons.

A quick heads up- this chapter once again includes mentions of verbal and physical abuse. (Unfortunately that is a significant part of Carol and Sophia's past) If this is a trigger for you, please proceed with caution. I'd hate for anyone to get upset.

 **Please enjoy this fifth chapter of Sophia's Lost Days. It is kind of a filler/in-between chapter, but I feel it is great nonetheless!**

I did look back to see what was written on the sign that the group left for Sophia, but I couldn't get a clear picture- so I had to improvise.

 _As always, reviews are appreciated- feedback is essential. Helps me know what to change and/or improve upon._

If I haven't replied to your review, please let me know! I reply to every review I receive!

* * *

 **Story Stats!**

 **Reviews:** 10

 _Thanks to all who have reviewed so far!_

 **Favourites:** 2

Thanks for the favourites!

 **Followers:** 7

 _Thank you for following this story!_

 **Word count:** _5,775!_

 **Last Edited:** 18/3/18 (Grammatical errors corrected)

* * *

 **Chapter 5 -**

 _Chupacabra -_

* * *

 ** _With Jasper and Sophia…_**

* * *

Even though the storm had begun to rage shortly after they drove off, Jasper continued driving. She knew the truck wouldn't make it through the grassy mud of the woods that surrounded their makeshift home- but she had to continue driving. They had to get as far as possible, because there was no way she was taking Sophia out into the storm unless they were presented with no other option. Not only was Jasper's leg wounds hurting like a bitch, but Sophia was still as weak as a newborn from her own wounds and all the medication that Jasper had to put her on. Couple that with only a few hours of sleep stretched over a few stressful days...and they made the worst apocalypse survival team. But, Jasper thought, at least they had each other. They weren't alone.

Glancing sideways, Jasper looked at her young charge. Sophia was sound asleep, wrapped in a cocoon of duvets- and her sleep seemed to be dream free. Sophia had a smile on her tired face- and Jasper found herself smiling. Whilst the day had brought back agonizing memories...she was slightly comforted by the knowledge that Sophia was still alive. She hadn't entirely failed.

Jasper looked back in front of her just in time to see a walker cross their path. Swearing, she moved quickly- swerving the car out the way…only to end up hitting a nearby tree, the front of the car crumpling with the force of the impact. The sound of dented metal rang loudly through the air, only slightly muffled by the thunder rumbling outside.

And, even though she was strapped in properly, Jasper's head still hit the window.

Hard.

Knocking her out cold.

* * *

 _The sound of her Mom crying breaks her heart- but Sophia can't move. Frozen in fear, she is powerless as her Dad steps over her Mom- who has crumpled into a heap on the floor. As her Dad advances towards her, Sophia glances at the open door to her left._

 _For a moment, she considers running…_

 _But then she looks at her Mom lying on the ground…_

 _And she knows she can't leave._

* * *

As the sound of a walker pounding on the window reached Sophia, she began to wake- freezing up when she saw the rotten face staring at her through the window, pieces of intestine stuck in its crumbling teeth. Sophia shuddered- even though she'd killed a walker, the sight of one still made her skin crawl. She wasn't sure how Jasper jad dealt with all the walkers outside the house. Sophia had seen all the corpses lying around- and still didn't know how Jasper had the strength, energy, or wherewithal to deal with them. Especially in the violent manner she'd killed them.

Swallowing, Sophia took in her surroundings. The storm was still going on outside- rumbling thunder combining with flashes of lightning to bring down a harsh, unforgiving rainfall.

But the car...the car…

For a moment, Sophia couldn't hear the walker outside her window- the fear of that lone corpse soon overtaken when she saw the state of the car. As she took in the crumpled car front, Sophia wondered how she could have slept through the whole ordeal. Just as she was starting to try and calm herself, she found herself looking to Jasper.

Her heart stopped when she saw her companion leaning against the car door- head planted firmly on the window…

Glass cracked like a spiderweb…

And dripping with blood.

It didn't take long for Sophia to piece together what had happened- the walker had stumbled into the car's path, and Jasper had to swerve. Somehow, despite the poor weather conditions, she'd managed to swerve the car so that her side of the car took the brunt of the hit- and Sophia was miraculously spared.

Swallowing, Sophia kept glancing back at the walker outside- but remained focused on her new friend. The older woman was out cold- it looked like she'd hit the window hard. The copious amounts of blood dripping down Jasper's neck almost made Sophia heave. She still wasn't used to seeing so much blood.

"Jasper?" Sophia spoke up.

When her companion didn't wake up, or even begin to stir, Sophia grew concerned- what if Jasper wasn't going to wake up for a while? Sophia couldn't exactly drag Jasper back to their borrowed house- they were both injured...and Sophia weighed significantly less.

"Jasper?" Sophia tried again.

After a tense moment of silence passed- permeated only by the walker's groans and the rumbling storm outside, Jasper began to stir. As the older woman slowly came around, and turned to look at her young companion...Sophia felt her heart skip a beat. A large shard of glass had come away from the window- and was now digging into the right side of Jasper's face.

Noting Sophia's pale face, and the pain in her head, Jasper grimaced.

"That bad, huh?" she groaned. "You...you alright?"

"Yeah…" Sophia cleared her throat.

Seeing that Sophia was focused on her, Jasper cleared her throat.

"Something on my face?" Jasper joked, in an attempt to lighten the dark mood.

"Uh...yeah." Sophia admitted, a small smile on her face.

Somehow, Jasper always knew what to say- and when to say it. That didn't mean that Sophia's concerns were at all eased, however- the wound on Jasper's face was grisly. There was also still a walker banging on the window outside, which could end up attracting more shambling corpses. And, given their current predicament, that could end up being disastrous. So Sophia managed to retain her composure- though it was getting harder and harder to stay calm.

"Shit." Jasper cursed, looking into the ruined window before glancing at Sophia. "Sorry."

"It's ok." Sophia shrugged.

Surveying their surroundings, Jasper sighed heavily. It didn't take a mechanic to know that the engine was completely beyond saving. It also didn't take long for Jasper to figure out just how bad the situation was. She was injured, with a possible concussion- and Sophia could still barely walk at all. Add that to the raging storm outside- and the walker quite literally at their door, they were, for lack of a better word- fucked. That is, unless Jasper got her act together and got moving. Which wasn't exactly going to be easy.

"We're going to be ok." Jasper spoke soothingly.

She wasn't sure if the reassurance was more for Sophia or for herself. Not that she'd let on that she was so nervous. There was still a little girl relying on her.

"We're going to be ok." Jasper repeated.

Grimacing, she managed to sit up properly- wincing as the glass dug further into her skin.

"What do we do?" Sophia bit her lip nervously.

Looking down at herself, Jasper soon noted that, somehow...her legs had avoided being crushed by the caved-in engine- albeit narrowly. Which was something to be thankful for. Had to be grateful for the little things, right?

"First…" Jasper sucked in a breath.

Shaking her head, as dark spots began to dance in the corners of her vision, Jasper mentally steadied herself.

"You might want to look away, Sophia. This isn't going to be pretty." Jasper warned.

"No, it's ok." Sophia swallowed.

Smiling slightly, Jasper took a deep breath- before inwardly cursing.

"The medicine bag is in the back of the truck." Jasper realized.

"Outside…" Sophia's eyes widened.

"Yeah." Jasper swallowed, tasting metallic blood from her head wound on her lips.

After several deep breaths, Jasper reached up her left hand...and tore the shard of glass from her face- before casting it aside. Trembling, she struggled to reach her hunting knife- still tucked into her belt. As she felt the blood oozing down her neck, Jasper knew she was running out of time. Just as she was preparing herself to somehow get out of the car and retrieve the medicine bag...Sophia was opening her door.

Before Jasper could even react, the young girl was reaching out with her borrowed pocket knife- and stabbing the walker in the head. Stunned, Jasper froze for a moment- watching as her young charge struggled to pull the pocket knife back out.

As Sophia began slipping out of the truck, still gripping the knife, Jasper pulled her back in, cursing as the movement sent pain coursing through her body. Immediately after Sophia was safely back in the truck door closed- Jasper had to hold herself back from outright yelling at the child. Yes, what Sophia had done was reckless- but it also wasn't the time to shout or argue with each other.

"That was-" Jasper sucked in a breath, as a sharp pain coursed through her head. "Really, really reckless."

"Sorry." Sophia sniffed, body trembling, turning the pocket knife in her shaking hands- which were coated in the walker's blood.

"You're alright. I'm alright. Let's leave it at that." Jasper concluded.

Taking note of the building tension, Sophia remained silent. She thought taking down another walker would have been easier than the first...but it wasn't.

Sighing, Jasper pulled the young girl's door shut. Leaning back on her side of the car, the older woman cursed again. Her head pain was growing as the minutes ticked by- which meant that time was running out. She only had minutes before her body succumbed to pain, blood loss, and exhaustion- before Sophia was practically left on her own in a ruined car. The way Jasper saw it, she had two options- either she hastily stitched up the wound leaving it open to infection...or she could try and get them to the house first. And risk collapsing on the way, leaving them defenceless and open.

As Sophia remained sat in silence, Jasper decided to take the first option- and braced herself. Looking out her window, she glanced downward- and felt her heart sink. The crumpled engine had buckled the side of the truck- warping Jasper's door enough that she could no longer open it. And she couldn't exactly climb over the girl- and drip blood all over her. Groaning, Jasper leant back- before looking back at Sophia.

"Get as far back as you can." Jasper gestured to the door.

"Ok...ok." Sophia backed up against the door.

Turning back to the window, Jasper used her elbow to smash the glass- cursing up a storm as pain laced through her veins. Moving quickly, she used her hunting knife to dust the remaining shards of glass from the window frame. Looking around, she took a deep breath- before struggling out of the window.

As she crumpled on the muddy floor outside, all the wind knocked out of her- Jasper swore.

Gathering what lingered of her strength, she got into her hands and knees- gripping her hunting knife tightly in her right hand. After a moment, she managed- albeit shakily- to get her feet. Taking great care to remain observant of her surroundings, Jasper quickly retrieved the now soaking bag of medicine…

Only to have the world swirl around her.

Heaving, the older woman bent over double. As she proceeded to- rather unceremoniously - throw up all over the side of the truck, Jasper lost her grip on the vehicle. Stumbling, she just about managed to catch herself- falling quite ungracefully onto her hands and knees. Gasping for breath, Jasper closed her eyes- willing the black spots dancing in her vision to go away. Why did her body have to start giving up now- of all times? Why hadn't she just hit the walker instead of swerving in less than ideal weather?

"Jasper?" a small voice calling out from the truck snapped the older woman out of her thoughts.

"I'm-" Jasper swallowed, wiping the bile from her face. "I'm alright, Sophia."

"O...ok." Sophia sounded uneasy.

Jasper could hardly blame her- they were now stuck a good mile or two from the house, in the middle of the woods...in the pouring rain. With who knows how many walkers lurking in the shadows. Add that to the injuries accrued between them- and it was a rather dire situation.

Sucking in as deep a breath as she could manage, Jasper slowly rose to her feet- retrieving the now muddy medicine bag from the blood-splattered ground.

Tucking her hunting knife back into her belt, she tossed the medicine bag through the ruined window- which Sophia helpfully took into her arms. Swallowing the bile rising again in her throat, Jasper clumsily climbed through.

Almost collapsing into her seat, Jasper leant back- breathing a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry if I scared you." Jasper noted how pale Sophia looked.

"I- it wasn't you." Sophia swallowed. "It was the walker. I thought-"

"Killing them isn't easy, Sophia." Jasper realized.

"But you-"

"It's not easy."

"I-"

"It's never going to he easy, Sophia. We're just going to have to learn to…deal with it."

"Deal with it?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Oh!"

"Sophia?"

"You're...still...bleeding'"

Sighing, Jasper took the medicine bag from Sophia- before beginning to rummage through it. Despite the pain in her head, she knew she had to act as quickly as possible- time was of the essence. Before long, whether she liked it or not, her body was going to give in to exhaustion. And she couldn't let that happen- not out here. But she could give in if they were back in their borrowed house- where they were in a relatively warm shelter...and away from the storm outside.

"Keep an eye out for me?" Jasper smiled slightly, glancing at Sophia as she did her best to clean the suturing needle and thread.

When Sophia nodded, gripping her pocket knife, Jasper focused on the rear view mirror- adjusting it to get a better look at her face...and almost wished she hadn't looked. The glass had left a few splinters which had gone unnoticed- and her tearing the shard out had torn up the skin further. Meaning she now had a gash running from just under her right ear to the corner of her lips- deep enough to damage the tissue itself. Grimacing as the slightest of facial movements tugged at the gaping wound, Jasper took a moment.

Steeling herself, she took a deep breath- glancing back at Sophia before she got to work.

She'd stitched up countless patients before, after all…

So how hard could it be to do to herself?

* * *

Sophia watched with morbid curiosity as Jasper deftly began stitching her face wound back together. Had it not been for the silent tears in her eyes, Sophia would never had known how it was affecting the older woman. She knew well enough that she was the reason her companion was staying so composed. The strength in her new guardian reminded her...of her Mom. So Sophia hoped that, when her Mom met Jasper, that they'd get along. She was sure they would.

* * *

After some tense moments, Jasper finally leant back- sweat dripping down her face from the effort of stitching the wound up. Breathing shakily, she turned to look at Sophia. The stitching was a little uneven- after all, it'd be hard to get even stitches when you were doing it to yourself.

"How do I look?" Jasper smiled slightly.

"Like…" Sophia thought hard.

"Frankenstein?" Jasper tried to lighten the mood.

"Frankenstein was the doctor." Sophia smiled. "My friend at school told me."

"I didn't know that."

"You didn't?"

"I've never been a fan of horror."

"Me either. My friend liked it, though."

The two of them chuckled, the mood lightened for a moment by the exchange. However, before either of them could speak up again, a bolt of lightning crashed down- striking a nearby tree. The sound was so loud that it startled them both- enough so that Sophia clambered closer to Jasper, eyes wide with fear. As the trunk of the tree split from the force of the blow, what remained of it began to smoulder.

"Will it catch fire?" Sophia trembled.

"Not in this rain." Jasper swallowed- dark spots were appearing in her vision again. "But we can't stay here. I thought we could wait it out, but…"

"But?"

Jasper thought hard, recalling what little she knew from what she saw on the internet.

"Lightning goes for the tallest object. And we're surrounded by trees." Jasper explained simply.

"Oh." Sophia realized. "That's not good."

"It's not. We're too far from the town...so somehow…"

"We need to get to the house."

As the gravity of the situation began to sink in for Sophia, she leaned back into her own seat.

"How far is it?" Sophia spoke up.

"A mile or two." Jasper replied.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

After a moment, Jasper frowned- hearing a strange noise approaching- and took out her hunting knife. Noting her older companion tensing up, Sophia also took out her knife- looking around wildly. Just as Jasper was preparing for the worst, the source of the noise came into view- a frightened, dashing horse.

Reacting quickly, Jasper reached out, just about managing to grab it's reins- halting the frightened animal in its tracks.

"Is that-" Sophia was stunned.

"I-" Jasper was also stunned- partly at the fact she'd been quick enough to grab the animal.

She took a deep breath, before reaching out a hand to stroke the horse- the poor animal looked terrified.

"I think we found our way home." Jasper laughed, relief swelling in her heart.

"What if it belongs to someone?" Sophia bit her lip.

"It probably does." Jasper admitted.

"Then what do we do?"

"We take it, for now. Otherwise we'll be stuck here until the storm's over."

When Sophia reluctantly nodded, Jasper took a deep breath- they had to move quickly. Their luck wouldn't keep up for long.

* * *

A few of the blankets were a lost cause- ruined by the sudden freak storm. Yet, fortunately, most survived- meaning that Sophia and Jasper still had a decent amount of supplies to take with them. Since they couldn't take everything on the horse, Sophia had the idea of taking out the tent- which they weren't using- and filling it up with supplies, and tying it to the horse so they could still use it for transportation. With the knowledge that they'd soon be at their borrowed home- in the relative warmth- they moved quickly, despite their injuries. After all, the thought of a warm meal and comfortable bed would give anyone hope. They just had to hold on a little bit longer. Just a little bit longer.

* * *

With a piece of tarpaulin from their supplies over their heads as a makeshift umbrella, Sophia and Jasper clambered onto the horse- albeit with extreme difficulty. Though the effort for both of them meant sweat was now beading on their brows- it was worth the pain. For they now had a way to get home.

* * *

As their borrowed home came into view- not unlike a beacon in the darkness, Jasper spurred the horse on. Its feet picked up speed, until the woods and meadow around them were but a blur. Within moments, they were at the home- drenched to the bone by the torrent of rain pouring down. The relief upon finding their shelter was soon overtaken by fear- when they saw that the door had been busted open, splinters forming a small pile on the floor. Someone had been in their home- and had left the place open to invasion. Any number of walkers could be lurking within- something that sent chills down Sophia's spine...and Jaspers. The two of them were freezing cold, soaking from the raging storm- and their injuries had only been aggravated by the horse ride.

A few stitches had opened up on Sophia's leg...and blood had begun leaking through the careful stitches on Jasper's face. Neither of them was going to be killing any number of walkers anytime soon- but Jasper couldn't let that fear get to either of them. Not when they were so close to being safe...or as safe as they could be- given the circumstances.

"Stay here." Jasper warned Sophia.

Her own head was swimming, and the darkness that was clawing at the edges of her vision was threatening to take over- but the older woman still dismounted the horse. Handing the reins to Sophia, and pulling the tarpaulin further over her young charge, Jasper forced a small smile onto her face. Taking out her hunting knife, she gripped it tightly- before taking a deep breath and blinking rapidly in her effort to clear her vision.

"Jasper?" Sophia noticed the woman swaying on her feet.

"I'm alright." Jasper steadied herself. "I'm-"

Interrupted by another bout of nausea, the older woman stumbled- before collapsing onto her hands and knees.

Even as she fought to stay awake, her body gave out- and she gave in to the darkness.

* * *

 _Jasper rocked backwards and forwards, cradling Annie's corpse in her arms. Even as minutes turned into hours...she didn't move. She couldn't. How could she move...or go on...without Annie? Without her little girl? How could life be worth living without her Annie?_

 _She'd never hear Annie laugh again._

 _Nor see her precious smile._

 _They'd never eat another meal together…_

 _Never go to the park again together…_

 _Never have another road trip…_

 _There was just nothing left. Just memories- now tainted bitter by the harsh present. Memories of a better time that would never return._

 _And photos._

 _Photos that would fade and wither as time passed...until there was nothing left but dust._

* * *

The sound of something bubbling- combined with the smell of burnt soup- is what finally woke Jasper from her uneasy rest. That, and a loud, terrifying crash of lightning outside. It seemed that the stork was still going on- a storm that would likely continue until well into the night. The knowledge that Sophia sat practically alone, with the terrifying kaleidoscope of sounds booming- and possibly still bleeding from burst stitches...forced Jasper to open her eyes. She almost wished she hadn't- the world was still swimming above her, made of blurred and wavy lines. Yet, it wasn't the rainy sky that greeted her. Instead, it was a familiar wooden ceiling- worn with age. How had Sophia gotten her inside?

That was the question that made Jasper turn her head.

She saw that she was on her bed- Sophia sitting on the floor just beyond. Something bubbled in the pot she was stirring- something that had a slight tinge of burning. Smiling slightly, Jasper slowly began sitting up- leaning heavily on her elbows to support herself. As she began to sit, she saw that the horse was also in the corner of the room- with the now dry tarpaulin pulled over it. Seeing that the beast slept soundly- and that Sophia seemed at ease- Jasper cleared her throat.

* * *

As Jasper cleared her throat, Sophia felt a smile cross her face- and turned to look at her new friend. Jasper had been out of it for some time- and had she been gone for any longer, Sophia would have been worried. Yet, as it had turned out, she hadn't needed to worry so much. Her new guardian had woken- before the sun had even set- so Sophia wouldn't be sat in silence all night, with only the horse for company. With her new friend awake, the storm didn't even frighten her as much anymore.

It was strange, Sophia thought, how the presence of even one more person could make someone feel...even a little braver.

"How-" Jasper looked around. "How did you get me up here?"

"I tied you to the-" Sophia looked embarrassed. "Horse."

"Like the supplies?" Jasper was impressed.

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Now-"

"I closed the door."

"You did?"

"Then got the horse to drag a chair in front of it."

"I suppose I should thank you both."

When Sophia smiled, Jasper leant back against the bed's headboard- relieved that, somehow, they were both safe and well. Yes, they'd made it by the skin of their teeth, but they'd made it. They had shelter from the storm- and were, for now, hidden from the walkers. Which would give them a night to rest and recuperate. With any luck, they'd be able to head out the next day as planned.

"What're you making?" Jasper spoke up, making her way to the edge of her bed.

"Beans and soup." Sophia smiled. "I think I burned it, though."

"It's alright. I'm sure it'll still taste good."

"Should we eat it now?"

"Sounds good to me."

Cautiously, Jasper stepped off the bed- and made her way shakily across the room- before slowly sitting down opposite Sophia. Close enough to feel the warmth of the camping stove, the older woman relaxed.

"Are you really alright?" Sophia spoke up, as she turned off the stove.

Jasper smiled, taking a moment to breathe, before she replied.

"Yeah, Sophia. I'm alright. What about you? Your stitches-"

"They're fine. They don't hurt."

"They didn't split?"

"No. I don't think they did."

"Good...good."

A moment passed in silence before Jasper spoke up again- watching as Sophia spooned the slightly burnt food into two bowls.

"Storm seems to be letting up." Jasper noted the lack of lightning as she took a bowl from Sophia.

"Really?" Sophia brightened, passing Jasper a spoon.

"Really." Jasper confirmed. "We should be able to head out in the morning."

"Thank you!"

"You're very welcome."

Jasper glanced at the horse, who seemed to be eyeing them hungrily.

"Better make sure we take care of our friend here, then." Jasper smiled.

As they slipped into a companionable silence, the only noise being that of the horse slurping some beans- Jasper's mind began to wander. Yes, the storm was letting up, but she definitely still had a concussion- meaning that she wouldn't be much use if they had to fight. And Sophia was still a novice when it came to putting down walkers…

"What is it?" Sophia cleared her throat.

Startled, Jasper took a deep breath- she wasn't going to voice her concerns. Not when Sophia was so close to reuniting with her Mom.

* * *

 _Sophia cries, hiding under her duvet covers as she puts a hand to the sore, hand-shaped mark on her face. She couldn't believe that her Dad had hit her- or that he'd continued to beat on her Mom. Why hadn't she just told her Mom to run? Why hadn't they both just run? Why were they still at home with a man who threatened them both on a daily basis?_

 _All these questions swim round her head, as she listens to the sound of faint cries- her Mom sobbing in the bathroom._

 _Why? She wondered._

* * *

 ** _At Hershel's Farm…_**

* * *

The tension in the air was palpable, as the group ran towards Daryl. Andrea's shot had sent them all into a frenzy- for all they knew, she could have killed the hunter. As the moments passed by in a rush, Andrea ran faster- getting to Daryl just as Rick and Shayne were helping the wounded man up. Heart pounding, she was about to voice her concerns- ramble on about how truly sorry she was...until TDog picked up a few items that Daryl had dropped. Before Rick and Shayne could drag Daryl back to the home, the group froze up- taking in just what exactly TDog was holding up. In his left hand was Sophia's doll- bloodstained and muddy- but still most definitely Sophia's.

"I-Is that-" Andrea stammered.

"Sophias." TDog confirmed, examining the doll closely. "And…"

In TDog's other hand, he clutched a bloodstained, gore-covered white coat...and an all too familiar blue tshirt. Swallowing, he dropped the coat and doll- holding up the tshirt for all the others to see. As they took in the faded blue, and it's cheery rainbow logo, a silence fell over the group. Taking in the bloodstains and tears sent chills down each of their spines.

"Oh god…" Andrea covered her mouth stomach swirling.

"So she's dead." Shane spoke up.

"We don't know that!" Rick hissed, keeping his voice low.

"How many of us are going to get hurt before you see sense, Rick?" Shane demanded.

"This is not the time!" Rick fought back.

"Oh, I think it's the perfect time. Daryl here's half dead, and that little girl is-" Shane raised his voice.

"No." Daryl spoke up, interrupting Shane. "Sophia...she-"

"She's what?" Rick pursued.

"She ain't dead." Daryl coughed.

"And just how would you know that?" Shane scoffed.

"I just...got a feeling. She ain't gone." Daryl finally gave in to exhaustion.

A moment of silence passed.

"You think he's right, don't you?" Shane huffed.

"Until we find something that says otherwise…" Rick sighed.

* * *

 ** _With Jasper and Sophia…_**

* * *

As the early morning dawned, with the first rays of sunlight filtering through the window, Jasper and Sophia began to wake. Whilst neither felt entirely well, they were spurred on by the knowledge that Sophia would soon be reunited with her Mom and the rest of their group. The spark of hope was something that they both welcomed. Of course, the strangely quiet night they'd had gave them both a renewed energy- not that Jasper would say otherwise to Sophia. She wasn't about to let the young girl down. Not now. Not ever.

* * *

 _ **Sophia, we're at a farm 2 miles down the road. There's a sign on the right of the road. We'll come back to this sign every day to see if you're here.**_

Moments ticked by in silence, as Jasper and Sophia studied the sign- which had been taped haphazardly to a wrecked cars windscreen...in front of which...stood a small pile of supplies. It seemed as if the group hadn't lost faith in finding Sophia- something that made the young girl smile. Seeing Sophia so happy made Jasper smile- despite the pounding in her head. The past few days had seemed like a lifetime- but now they were finally at their goal. Jasper couldn't help but wonder how things would turn out when she returned Sophia to her Mom. Would the group distrust her? Send her away? It almost seemed too much to hope that they'd blindly accept her. It was a cruel world, after all. And it wasn't normally wise to trust people outright.

"Jasper?" Sophia's voice, once again, snapped the older woman out of her thoughts.

"Hm?" Jasper turned to face the young girl.

"Should we wait here for them? Or should we...go?" Sophia wondered.

"We should-"

Jasper was cut off by the sound of rumbling approaching. Confused, she kept a hand on the horse's reins- before looking all around. Drowning, she turned back to face the sign- and noticed some objects quickly approaching on the horizon. As the objects drew closer, Jasper swore. The sound had grown more distinctive, and going by the gleam approaching them, it was a group of motorcyclists. Who evidently weren't concerned by the noise their vehicles were making.

"Sophia, toss the sign over the barrier." Jasper warned.

"What?" Sophia looked, before noticing the approaching motorcyclists. "Oh."

"We won't outrun those motorcycles on a tired horse. Not with two of us...and our supplies on it." Jasper hoisted Sophia up onto the horse.

Gripping the handle of her hunting knife in her teeth, Jasper hastily began untying the rope that attached their bundle of supplies to the horse. Moving quickly, she kept an eye on the motorcycles, before rising to her feet once she was done. Handing Sophia the pocket knife, Jasper transferred her hunting knife into her right hand- choosing not to tell the young girl about the nerves building within her.

"Why do we need to run?" Sophia pieced together Jasper's plan.

"We're not running...yet." Jasper swallowed, standing in front of Sophia on the horse.

"Yet?" Sophia bit her lip nervously.

"But I want to make sure that if this goes sideways...you can get away quickly." Jasper explained.

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me."


	6. Secrets

**Author's Note:**

Hey there! Thanks for clicking on my fanfiction, **Sophia's Lost Days**. This is an idea that I've had floating around in my head for some time- and since I've been rewatching the series, I figured it was time to give it a shot.

 _This should be around 13 chapters, each one titled after the respective Season 2 episodes so you have an idea of where the story is in the timeline. The chapters will link to the episode title in one way or another._

If this story does well, I will do a sequel following the events of the season 2 and the following seasons.

A quick heads up- this chapter once again includes mentions of verbal and physical abuse. (Unfortunately that is a significant part of Carol and Sophia's past) If this is a trigger for you, please proceed with caution. I'd hate for anyone to get upset.

 **This chapter also includes mentions of other mature themes. I have also upped the gore factor on this one.**

Please enjoy this sixth chapter of Sophia's Lost Days.

 _As always, reviews are appreciated- feedback is essential. Helps me know what to change and/or improve upon. Whilst I am of course immensely grateful for those who review already, it would be great if more of you left feedback- what I write might not be for everyone, and I want everyone to enjoy what I write!_

If I haven't replied to your review, please let me know! I reply to every review I receive! As always, let me know if you spy any grammatical or spelling errors!

* * *

 **Story Stats!**

 **Reviews:** 13

 _Thanks to all who have reviewed so far!_

 **Favourites:** 7

 _Thanks for the favourites!_

 **Followers:** 13

 _Thank you for following this story!_

 **Word count:** _3,869!_

This chapter is shorter than the others, but I wanted to leave it where I did because it felt like a good way to end the chapter.

 **Last Edited:** 18/3/18 (Grammatical errors corrected)

* * *

 **Chapter 6 -**

 _Secrets -_

* * *

 ** _With Jasper and Sophia…_**

* * *

As the motorcyclists grinded to a halt, engines rumbling until they fell silent, Jasper made sure to remain in front of Sophia and the horse. Whilst the strangers may not be hostile, Jasper knew that she had to stay on her guard. She couldn't afford to relax. Before, when she was on her own, she would either fight them outright- or run and hide. Both of which were things that were no longer an option- not while she had a child in her care. She had to avoid fighting people at all costs- because Sophia could easily be caught in the crossfire. Walkers were at least predictable, but humans? You could never really tell. Not until it was too late, at least. With a maze of thoughts running through her head, Jasper gripped her hunting knife tighter- before taking a proper look at the group of strangers.

There was six of them- all men. Wearing dirty and worn biker leathers, they sat on their parked motorbikes- studying Sophia and Jasper with great interest. Momentarily taking advantage of the distracted men, Jasper took a closer look at them- whilst trying to appear nonchalant. Four of the men wore gun belts- heavy pistols hanging on their hips. The other two had no guns that Jasper could see- but the tell-tale glean of sharp knives glinted through tears in their jackets. In one way or another, they were armed.

Which meant that, not only were Sophia and Jasper outnumbered...but they were also outgunned. Jasper knew they'd have to be smart about this- things could go sideways very quickly. And they couldn't let things go sideways- neither of them were much up to fighting. Of course, they would if they had to, but it was still wiser to avoid a fight. With that in mind, Jasper spoke up.

"Can I...help you?" she started, keeping a grip on the horse's reins with her unarmed hand.

"Well…" the tallest man, a large, bulky fellow with a long mess of hair thought hard. "I don't know. Can you?"

A moment of awkward silence passed, neither side knowing what to say- before another of the men spoke up. This one was thin, and wiry- but had a strange smile that gave off an eerie aura.

"Where're you two lovely ladies headed?" the man asked, looking from Sophia to Jasper.

"My…" Jasper swallowed in an effort to calm her nerves. "My daughter and I are headed South."

"South?" the wiry man pursued.

"Heard there was a refugee camp down there somewhere." Jasper recalled one of the last radio broadcasts, and thought quickly.

"Place is a bust." the wiry man spoke bluntly.

"Really?" Sophia piped up, doing her best to seem as quiet and meek as possible.

"Sorry, kid." the bulkier man shrugged. "We rode past a camp on our way up here- place was totalled."

"How bad was it?" Jasper pursued.

The men seemed willing to talk in peace- but the wiry man with the lecherous grin was putting her on edge.

"Place was burning." the wiry man leaned forward. "Could hear the screams for miles."

"Really?" Jasper studied the man.

Focusing on the creepy man, Jasper inspected him as well as she could whilst maintaining a safe distance. At first glance, he seemed weak- and relatively harmless. At second glance, however, she could see that his hands were black with congealed blood. Frowning, Jasper watched as the man casually lit a cigarette- as if the tense situation was just a mild chat between old rest of the man was relatively unscathed in terms of dirt and grime. So why were his hands so...dirty?

"Well...I guess…" Jasper cleared her throat. "My daughter and I need to find...someplace else."

"We were thinking the same thing." the bulky man spoke up again, leaning forward. "Where do you think you'll head to now?"

"Just...away from here, I suppose. Not safe to he on the open road." Jasper shrugged, appearing casual. "You?"

As the men glanced and whispered between themselves, occasionally glancing back at Jasper and Sophia, Jasper took a step backwards. She did not like the way the wiry man was looking at them- eyebrows raised and mouth stretched into a lecherous grin. As Jasper followed the man's line of sight, her blood ran cold. The man was not looking at Jasper so lustily. No. It was worse. His dirty gaze was focused on Sophia- something that was definitely making Sophia nervous, going by her body language.

"How old did you say your daughter was?" the wiry man spoke up, taking a long breath on his cigarette.

"I didn't say." Jasper took another step back.

As the man grinned- causing his companions to smile lecherously with him- Jasper looked up at Sophia.

"If I tell you to go, you go." she whispered, keeping an eye on the men.

"Are they bad men?" Sophia kept her voice down.

When Jasper nodded, Sophia seemed to pale- all the colour draining from her face. Giving the young girl a reassuring smile, Jasper turned back to face the strange men.

"You don't need to know how old she is." Jasper spoke firmly- nerves fading as she took a step forward.

"It's just a question." the wiry man chuckled.

"And I just gave you my answer." Jasper practically spat out.

"I don't think you should take that tone with me." the wiry man chucked the cigarette behind him, before reaching down a hand to keep near his gun.

"I think I need to." Jasper gripped her hunting knife so hard that her knuckles turned white.

"You bitch-" the man scoffed.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Sophia spoke up, voice shaking slightly.

"Excuse me?" the wiry man stepped off his bike.

"Sophia…" Jasper turned to look up at Sophia, giving her a warning look- before turning to face the men again.

"Excuse me?!" the wiry man repeated, taking out his gun.

"She didn't mean anything by it." Jasper reverted back to a non-threatening tone. She couldn't let the situation escalate.

"I think she did. And I think that was pretty damn rude, girl." the wiry man took a step forward.

As the other men stepped off their bikes, hands hovering over their respective weapons, both Jasper and Sophia felt chills run down their spines. The tension in the air rose with the silence- until the tension was so thick, so palpable...that one could almost have cut it with a knife.

"You gonna get her to apologise to my friend here?" the bulky man spoke up.

"I-" Jasper started.

"No need." the wiry man licked his lips. "I know a way the kid can say sorry. Mom just needs to step away for a little while."

"You stay the hell away from her." Jasper took a step forward.

"Come on, woman. Just look away. I can make it worth your while." the wiry man pursued.

"I won't let you lay a finger on her." Jasper remained defiant.

Tutting, the wiry man took his gun out of the tattered gun belt that he wore- turning the weapon in his hands. As the smooth metal of the gun gleamed in the sunlight, Jasper looked back up at Sophia. She knew there was only one way out of this.

"Sophia. Run. Get the horse going just like I showed you." Jasper passed the reins to Sophia, keeping her voice down.

"I'm not leaving without you." Sophia spoke confidently.

"These bad men want to...do something bad to you." Jasper kept an eye on the men, who watched curiously. "So you need to go. The horse is tired, but it'll get you to the farm. To your Mom."

"Not without you." Sophia protested.

"Sophia-" Jasper started.

A a single gunshot rang out, echoing far up and down the highway. For a moment, time seemed to slow down- until it sped up mercilessly. A few blissful seconds passed before Jasper realized what had happened. Trembling, she looked down- and saw blood leaking through her shirt...coming from her torso. Swallowing, as sweat began to bead on her brow, she looked up at Sophia- who seemed frozen in shock and horror. Before she could say anything, Jasper felt her legs give out- and fell backwards. Landing on her back with a painful thud, she found herself looking upwards at a terrified Sophia.

"Run." Jasper swallowed. "Run-"

The horse, already terrified, didn't have time to move a single step before another gunshot rang out.

The world almost seemed to flow in slow-motion, as the horse collapsed onto its side- taking Sophia down with it. As Sophia screamed, Jasper reached out a shaking hand- only to have the bulky man step down on it. Hard. Gasping, she looked up defiantly- fighting to stay awake.

She should have sent Sophia off at the first sign of trouble…

She should have distracted the men…

She should have…

As a kaleidoscope of thoughts blurred into one, Jasper saw the world around her swim- moving in one big wave.

Shaking, she gritted her teeth, and reached for her dropped hunting knife…

Only to have the bulky man kick her hard in the side of the head.

The last thing the older woman saw before she blacked out…

Was the wiry man striking Sophia across the face.

* * *

 _Sophia moves quietly, as she makes her way down the stairs. Her face still hurts from the harsh mark that her Dad left, but she knows she has to brave the downstairs. Her Mom was in no state to cook- and her Dad was out drinking again. So it was up to Sophia to get something to eat._

 _She wonders if she should cook something- she knew a little about cooking…_

 _Yeah, she could make something!_

 _Her Mom would love that!_

 _She just had to do it quick before Dad came home..._

* * *

Sophia cried out as the wiry man struck her hard across the face- the skin of his palm leaving a stinging mark on her cheek. Sobbing, she backed away from him- eyes constantly swerving round to look at her unconscious companion. She'd thought she couldn't be more scared than she was on the highway...but she'd obviously been wrong. As the man crept towards her, eerie grin widening, she felt more terrified than ever. The way the man looked at her was wrong- that much she knew. And it hadn't take long for Sophia to figure out what exactly the man wanted- and why Jasper had been so insistent on her leaving.

"Come on, little girlie." the wiry man licked his lips.

Sophia swiped at him wildly with her pocket knife, hands trembling as she tried to get some distance between her and the lecherous creep.

"Come on, man!" the bulky man cursed, now stood with his foot on Jasper's chest to stop her from moving. "It's just one little kid!"

Cursing, the wiry man shook his head- before grinning as Sophia's back hit one of the cars. The young girl was trapped.

As the wiry man knelt down in front of her, Sophia eyed his exposed throat- and felt the blood drain from her when she realized the only way out of this was to…

Gritting her teeth, she slashed out with the blade- like she'd seen Jasper do on the walkers. As the knife cut jaggedly through flesh, Sophia cried harder- watching as the man's hands reached up to clutch the wound.

With blood streaming down the man's body, Sophia took her chance…

And reached for his gun.

* * *

 _As Jasper slowly rocks backwards and forwards, she finds her mind drifting- clinging to a memory of better times._

 _ **"Can you sing me to sleep, Mom?" Annie asks.**_

 _ **"You haven't wanted that in a while."**_

 _ **"Please?"**_

 _ **"Of course. What would you like me to sing?"**_

 _ **"My favourite."**_

 _ **"I think I can do that."**_

 _ **"You're the best!"**_

 _Body trembling, Jasper pulls her daughter's corpse closer- allowing a fresh flood of tears to stream down her face._

* * *

When Jasper slowly came to, she immediately became aware of the pressure on her chest...the burning pain in her torso- and everything came rushing back to her. Spurred on by the memories of what had happened, she quickly opened her eyes-blinking rapidly in an effort to swiftly clear her blurred vision. Once her vision had cleared, she could see that the sky was unchanged- meaning that very little time had passed. For which she was grateful. Groaning, she turned her head- only to see Sophia backed up against a car, shakily holding the gun that the wiry man had been holding. Tears streamed down her face- and her body shook with the sobs.

Eyes widening, Jasper saw the wiry man's body collapsed in a bloody heap in front of the young girl- and watched as the man's companions remained frozen in shock. Gritting her teeth, Jasper turned to look upwards- her cleared vision revealing that the cause of the pressure on her chest was the bulky man keeping a foot on her, to stop her from moving. Cursing, Jasper looked around wildly for her hunting knife- and saw it left abandoned on the ground nearby.

Staying as silent as possible, Jasper reached out a trembling hand- only to be stopped as the bulky man looked down at her.

"Shit! She's awake!" the man alerted his companions.

"Deal with her!" one of the men swore.

As the bulky man leant down, hands pulling out his gun, Jasper thought quickly. She was running out of time, and Sophia was too. And she'd be damned if she let them lay a finger on the young girl. Watching as the man knelt down at her side, one knee keeping pressure on her chest to prevent her from moving, Jasper eyed his throat. Glancing back between the bulky man and Sophia, Jasper realized what she had to do. It was going to be risky- but it was her only option.

As the bulky man was leaning in close enough that she could feel his breath on her face, Jasper leant upwards as far as she could- fixing her teeth on his exposed throat. Biting down hard as the man cried out, Jasper took advantage of the man's pain- and watched as he dropped his gun in his surprise. Reacting quickly, she reached for the weapon- before holding it to the side of the man's head...and swiftly pulling the trigger.

Collapsing backwards, as the sound if the gunshot rang painfully in her ears, Jasper spat out the piece of flesh she'd taken out of the man's throat in their small scuffle- watching as the man's body collapsed to the floor in an unceremonious heap. Gasping for breath, she turned- to see the other men approaching, leaving Sophia cowering by the car. As the white-hot pain from her wound resurged, Jasper grimaced- but focused on the men approaching.

She wasn't any kind of expert marksman, but the bullets she quickly fired still managed to land in the men's bodies. With quick succession, the men collapsed- each with a varying degree if cursing and blood curdling screams. While none of the shots were headshots, they still did the job- and Jasper watched as they all curled up in the fetal position...crying as their lifeblood began pooling beneath them.

A moment passed in tense silence, as Jasper and Sophia stared at each other- neither of them knowing what to say or do. In the space of a few minutes, they'd experienced something that would likely stay with them for some time- something that would haunt them for many nights to come.

After they'd been able to catch their breath, Jasper cast the empty gun aside- struggling upwards on her elbows. As she leaned heavily on her arms, sweat beading on her brow, Jasper watched as blood began flowing fresh from the wound- further staining her shirt. Grimacing, she carefully leant back down- she wasn't going anywhere quickly. Which wasn't good- those gunshots were undoubtedly going to draw walkers to them.

Watching as Sophia scrambled over to kneel at her side, Jasper smiled sadly. The poor girl was absolutely covered in blood- and her hands shook so hard it was difficult to keep a grip on her pocket knife.

"Did they…" Jasper swallowed. "Did they touch you?"

"No. I...I got the...I…" Sophia burst into tears.

Heart breaking at the young girl's sorrow, Jasper reached up a bloody hand to gently cup Sophia's face.

"It's alright, Sophia." she tried reassuring her young charge.

"No...It's...not." Sophia cried. "I...I killed him...and you're h...hurt."

"You did what you had to do." Jasper spoke firmly. "We're both...still here...because of that."

"But-"

"No buts. You did the right thing. Never...doubt...that."

Groaning, Jasper watched as her vision began to blur. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a deep breath- before opening her eyes again to look at Sophia.

"I'm going to need you to help me up." Jasper spoke bluntly.

"O-okay." Sophia took a deep breath, and put her pocket knife in her belt. "Should you...be moving?"

"Probably not." Jasper answered. "But we need to get out of here- all those gunshots…"

"Walkers will have heard them." Sophia realized.

"Exactly."

"Ok. Ok."

Sophia reached both hands out to Jasper- although her hands still shook from the aftermath of the fight.

"Right." Jasper swallowed. "Let's do this."

Taking the young girl's hands, Jasper used the support to pull herself upwards- until she could move onto her hands and knees.

"Fuck." she couldn't help it as a curse escaped her lips.

As Sophia moved to crouch in front of her, Jasper looked up. The young girl's eyes were full of tears- but her expression showed a strength that Jasper had never before seen in someone of Sophia's age. Smiling slightly, Jasper looked down again- watching as blood dripped rapidly onto the floor. Sighing, she took Sophia's hands again. Between the two of them, they managed to get Jasper on her feet. As blood began seeping through the older woman's shirt, and down her left leg, the two looked at each other in silent concern. Before Sophia could voice her concern, Jasper spoke up.

"Get...get the bandages." Jasper stumbled to the side- and leaned heavily on a car.

"Not the needle?" Sophia rsn towards their pile of supplies- half ruined by the dead horse.

"No time." Jasper inspected her shaking hands. "No time."

When Sophia ran back and presented her with the roll of bandages, Jasper instructed the girl to salvage what she could- they had no way of knowing how long it'd take them to get to the farm in the state she was in. As soon as Sophia had dashed back to the supplies, Jasper began peeling her shirt up- cursing up a storm as the concealed blood stuck the shirt to the wound. Taking a deep breath, she yanked the shirt upwards, almost falling to her knees by the brush of pain. Grimacing, Jasper steadied herself- tucking her shirt into her bra for a moment in order to inspect the wound properly. Craning her neck, she could see a clear exit wound on her back- something to be grateful for. The placement of the wound told her nothing vital had been damaged- but the blood loss pointed to a damaged artery. Meaning that she didn't have a great deal of time.

Glancing back at Sophia, Jasper made sure that the young girl was safe- before looking down at her front. Taking the bandages, she wrapped them thickly around herself- biting her lip to as not to curse in front of her young companion again. Carefully, she tied up the bandages- tucking what was left of the roll into her trouser pocket. Breathing as deep as she could, Jasper untucked her shirt- and pulled it back down.

After a moment, Sophia ran up, clutching Jasper's hiking pack- packed to the brim with what supplies could be salvaged...or what hadn't been drenched in blood, at least.

"What do we have?" Jasper asked, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

"A few bottles of water...six cans...the medicine stuff...and their guns." Sophia wiped the sweat from her own face.

"Good. We should make it just…" Jasper started.

She was cut off by a new bout of nausea- and had to stumble away from Sophia before she threw up violently- collapsing to her knees with the effort.

As she gasped and choked, the older woman saw the world swim around her once more…

And felt herself falling onto her side…

Before giving in to the darkness.


	7. Pretty Much Dead Already

**Author's Note:**

Hey there! Thanks for clicking on my fanfiction, **Sophia's Lost Days**. This is an idea that I've had floating around in my head for some time- and since I've been rewatching the series, I figured it was time to give it a shot.

 _This should be around 13 chapters, each one titled after the respective Season 2 episodes so you have an idea of where the story is in the timeline. The chapters will link to the episode title in one way or another._

If this story does well, I will do a sequel following the events of the season 2 and the following seasons.

A quick heads up- this Chapter includes a lot of swearing, as well as gore, and references to mature themes.

 **Please enjoy this seventh chapter of Sophia's Lost Days. I will be referencing that flashback scene where we see Shayne and Lori back at the start watching as Atlanta is bombed.**

 _As always, reviews are appreciated- feedback is essential. Helps me know what to change and/or improve upon. Whilst I am of course immensely grateful for those who review already, it would be great if more of you left feedback- what I write might not be for everyone, and I want everyone to enjoy what I write!_

If I haven't replied to your review, please let me know! I reply to every review I receive! As always, let me know if you spy any grammatical or spelling errors!

 **An additional note:** I am pleased that people weren't too upset by the implication of sexual assault in the previous chapter. It isn't a nice subject in any way, but in a dying world people would do crazy things. I also took the idea from the scene with Carl. It is a difficult subject and if anyone wants someone to talk to about that, I am always here to listen. I will be going into that theme again, so here is an official trigger warning.

 **Another thing- I'd like to thank thedarkpokemaster for giving me some fantastic ideas that I will be using in the coming chapters. I actually wanted to go a different way for the ending of the previous chapter, and an idea that thedarkpokemaster gave me means I can kind of expand on that original idea without having to retcon an entire chapter! I also want to thank thedarkpokemaster for reading this chapter before I published it, to see if it was alright!**

One last thing- a user named **Dezzal** left me the following review: _Your characters get hurt so much that it takes away from the story. It comes to the point where your no longer associating with the character and just being annoyed by how epic everything has to be, from getting glass stuck in her face then having to sow it herself to her knees needing stitches then getting shot and for fucks sake next thing you know she will be losing limbs because she got bit. It's just too much._

 **I am not upset by the above review in any way- I stand by my saying that all criticism is good criticism, as it helps you know what to change and improve.** However I received this review when I had already written 90% of this chapter. Whilst there is more injuries to my OC in this chapter- I'm unfortunately a sucker for injury fics- as reflected in my writing. But they are the last injuries for some time. I only plan to inflict pain on other main characters at some point-when the situation calls for it.

 **So yes, user Dezzal, there are more injuries in this chapter- but after that it's just recovery. And now we will have more characters to play off of. Please excuse the copious amounts of 'epic injuries'. I will be including more about other characters. This review made me realize that I did title the fic 'Sophia's Lost Days' and have kind of made it all about my OC. There will be more focus on a broader range of characters after this chapter. Dezzal, I hope you at least enjoy it a little bit regardless of the injuries.**

Please keep in mind that when two people are all that's in a group, they are at a disadvantage in the apocalypse- so more injuries are a given.

 **For the rest of you:** Do you feel the same as Dezzal? How can I change and/or improve this story? I am always open to ideas and constructive criticism!

 **Food for thought:** This story is dark, as I have mentioned before. There is a great deal of injuries in the comics- and even torture/sexual assault...and I am drawing more from the comics for inspiration.

* * *

 **Story Stats!**

 **Reviews:** 20

 _Thanks to all who have reviewed so far!_

 **Favourites:** 10

 _Thanks for the favourites!_

 **Followers:** 17

 _Thank you for following this story!_

 **Word count:** _9,045!_

 **Last Edited:** 18/3/18 (Grammatical errors corrected)

* * *

 **Chapter 7 -**

 _Pretty Much Dead Already -_

* * *

 _She watches as Shane walks away- before taking advantage of her Mom and Dad's argument to follow after him. As she catches up with him, the noise of her parents' argument fading away, Sophia sees Shane smile warmly at her- and offers out a hand. Taking it, she follows the man up the hill, where his friend Lori is waiting- with her son Carl. In the dim moonlight, the four of them stand atop the hill- watching Atlanta in the distance. It seems so close, and simultaneously so far away. Being in the city seems like a lifetime away- when in reality, they'd only left a few days ago._

 _Things had been slow at the start, with a steady stream of news reports and radio broadcasts that they'd initially had trouble believing. But then...in the space of a week, everything had gone to hell. Weeks of panic consumption had led to shortages of practically every major resource- causing riots to break out across the country. After the situation escalated, practically every city in America had been placed under martial law- with military pouring in from every direction._

 _Even from their position on the hill now, they could hear people screaming, and gunshots in the distance. They were quite literally watching as the city fell apart- and it seemed to be bringing tears to everyone's eyes. After all, nothing about this was right. People shouldn't have been getting up from the dead to eat their own. People shouldn't have been fighting or looting. None of this should have happened. And yet it was happening- the literal end of the world was occurring right before their eyes...and they were powerless to stop it._

 _Even the most hardened soldier was powerless against the hordes of 'walkers' as the last news broadcast had named them._

 _"How're we all doing?" Shane finally asked, breaking the silent._

 _"I don't rightly know how to answer that." Lori sighed sadly._

 _"It's...sad." Carl sniffed._

 _"I know, baby." Lori spoke soothingly._

 _"At least we're out here…" Shane cleared his throat. "And not back there, in the city."_

 _A moment of tense silence passed, before all of them began looking around wildly- as they heard the rumbling of an airplane engine overhead. As the noise got louder, they could hear people on the road behind them cheering and hollering- willing the planes onto victory. They all watched in wonder as a series of fighter jets streaked across the air above- shining silver in the night sky. With speed unlike anything Sophia had ever seen, the jets headed straight for the city._

 _"Maybe they can win this thing." Shane spoke hopefully._

 _Before anyone else could speak up, the planes dived…_

 _And time seemed to slow down…_

 _Before it sped up mercilessly…_

 _And a series of explosions cascaded down over the city._

 _As Atlanta went up in flames, smoke billowing up into the clouds, Sophia felt tears begin to stream down her face. The noise alone was deafening, even at the distance they stood at- and the heat of the fire could be felt even where they were. The damage...looked devastating. Starting to cry, Sophia let go of Shane's hand, and began running back towards her Mom. Whilst her Dad stood, looking at the burning sky in shock, her Mom stretched out her arms- and pulled Sophia into a warm, comforting embrace._

 _"Mom…" Sophia cried._

 _"I know, baby. I know." her Mom spoke soothingly._

* * *

 ** _With Jasper and Sophia…_**

* * *

Slowly, Sophia began to wake- hearing an almost eerie silence, permeated only by the sound of a gentle rainfall. The worst of the storm had long since passed, but the rain still lingered. The sound of the rain, gently pattering on the windows was...strangely...almost soothing- until Sophia remembered where she was...and what had happened. Everything came back to her in a rush, bringing tears to her eyes. After what she had seen and heard the day before, sleep had not come easily- even though she'd been exhausted by the time she could finally sit down and take a breath. A near death experience, coupled with the very real fear of sexual assault would send anyone into a nervous frenzy. Even the toughest human being couldn't remain unaffected by such an experience. Add to that with the fact that Sophia had killed a living, breathing human for the first time...and it had been a long night- to say the least.

Opening her eyes, Sophia blinked rapidly to clear the sleep from her eyes- before reaching for the pocket knife in her lap. Taking comfort in the now familiar feel of the blade in her hands, Sophia allowed herself a moment to fully wake up, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. She was still immensely exhausted, and on edge- but Sophia knew had to remain calm. For the moment, she was safe, and so was…

Jasper!

Rapidly, Sophia turned around to look at her companion. She'd somehow managed to drag the older, unconscious woman into a nearby car- something that had definitely torn a few of the stitches on Sophia's still tender leg wound. The older woman lay in an uncomfortable looking position on the back seat- Sophia hadn't wanted to move her around too much. It had taken longer than the young girl hoped for the bleeding to slow to a stop- so she didn't want to move her companion unless it was absolutely necessary. After all, neither of them were up to fighting. They hadn't been up to it the day before, really...but somehow, they'd managed to survive the ordeal. By the skin of their teeth- Sophia was exhausted and overtired, and Jasper was still uncomfortably pale and shivering...though her face was dripping with sweat. Sophia wished her new friend was awake, to tell her how she could help...but she wasn't. So Sophia had to improvise. She'd covered the car windows with the old blankets from their supplies- whilst they were crusted with dry blood, they kept walkers from seeing into the vehicle. Sophia had used another blanket, less damaged, to drape over Jasper. The hiking pack was under the woman's head like a makeshift cushion.

Sophia was proud of herself for getting them into the car- if hadn't been easy, mentally or physically. She'd wanted to go down to the farm, and see her Mom...get help...but that just hadn't been possible. Sophia could still only just about limp on her bad leg-and Jasper wasn't going anywhere fast either. And she couldn't leave Jasper on the road whilst she went to get help- the woman was definitely not in fighting shape. The situation was bad- but for now, they were out of harm's way.

Just as Sophia was reaching out to check on Jasper, she heard the sound of cars approaching- along with the all too familiar sound of rumbling motorbikes. As the noise drew closer, getting louder with each passing second, Sophia reluctantly reached out a hand to gently shake Jasper. She didn't want to try waking her yet- but if Jasper suddenly woke and alerted whoever was approaching them outside...it'd be disastrous.

So Sophia kept trying, until she saw her new friend's eyes start to open. Fumbling around, Sophia reached for the lighter she'd taken off the wiry mans body. Keeping an eye on the approaching vehicles through a tear in the blankets, Sophia watched as they stopped further down the highway- likely having seen the carnage from Sophia and Jasper's clash with the motorcyclists. As Sophia moved the dim light from the small flame closer to Jasper, she felt her heart skip a beat. The older woman was deathly pale- paler than earlier, skin clammy with sweat. Coupled with the red rings under her eyes- tell tale signs of exhaustion, the woman looked like death warmed up.

"Sophia?" Jasper cleared her throat. "Where-"

"There's people on the highway." Sophia kept her throat down. "Are you-"

"I'm…" Jasper coughed. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not…" Sophia shook her head.

Gritting her teeth, Jasper pulled herself upwards- grimacing as the motion tugged at her wound, feeling a sharp pain in her back. Looking around, she saw how hard Sophia had worked to get them safe- and turned to face her young companion. The girl had saved Jasper's life by getting her into the car- and she'd stayed with her, when Sophia could just as easily have run to the farm...where her Mom was hopefully waiting for her.

"You didn't go...to your Mom?" Jasper sat back up, leaning against the tattered car seat.

"I didn't want to leave you." Sophia passed Jasper's hunting knife back to her.

Smiling slightly, Jasper turned the knife in her hands, comforted by the familiar blade- before speaking up again.

"You did good." Jasper reassured Sophia.

"I did?" Sophia picked up her own pocket knife.

"We're still here, aren't we?"

"Yeah...we are."

As the sound of several voices drew closer, Jasper's eyes widened in alarm. Noting the older woman's expression, Sophia quickly rummaged through Jasper's hiking pack- stashed on the other front seat. After a tense moment of searching, she produced one of the stolen guns. Taking a deep breath before handing it to Jasper, she watched as the woman struggled to open the magazine- examining with shaking hands what bullets were left.

"Six bullets. What about the others?" Jasper tucked her hunting knife into her belt, before reloading the gun.

As Sophia handed her the others, Jasper examined them- only to find two were empty...and another had one single clip left. So they had twelve bullets. And judging by the number of different voices outside, twelve bullets wasn't going to be enough. Twelve bullets and two knives- not near enough. Not even close.

"Hey, do you guys see that?" a voice sounded from outside.

"Some kind of light?" another sounded confused.

"They saw the lighter." Jasper tucked the spare magazine into her belt. "So they'll see...the bodies."

A moment of silence passed, the tension rising until it was thick in the air. Sophia trembled as she closed the lighter- desperate to reach out to her new friend for comfort. The events of earlier had shaken Sophia to her core- but now that they were in danger, there was no time for comforting. No time to really digest what had happened. No time to think about the fact that they'd both killed breathing, living humans. After all, the undead were one thing. The living, however, were entirely different.

"Shit! Is that Dave?" a new voice spoke up, shattering the silence. "And the other scouts?"

"What the fuck happened?" another voice swore.

As the realization hit them, Sophia and Jasper looked at each other. These new men outside knew the name of one of the dead men, which meant that they were with the men on the motorcycles. Jasper cursed, knowing that the connection between the two groups meant that they would want payback for what Jasper and Sophia had done. Knowing that it was only a matter of time before they were discovered, Jasper thought hard- fighting the pounding in her head. Once again, they were running out of time. Looking around the car, dimly lit by some kind of light coming from outside, Jasper desperately tried to come up with a solution.

"Hey, Randall. Wasn't that the car you saw that light in?" another new voice spoke up.

"I think so." a distinctly younger voice answered.

"Check it out, while we figure out what the fuck happened here." someone else spoke.

"Why do I have to do it?" Randall complained.

"Why're you being such a pussy?" Another voice scoffed.

"I just…" Randall sighed.

"Fine. I'll do it." Another voice spoke up.

A set of footsteps grew closer to their hiding place in the car.

"Fuck." Jasper swore.

The sheer volume of different voices told her and Sophia that there were far more men outside than there had been on the motorcycles- meaning that they were outnumbered. Desperately outnumbered, and likely outgunned to boot. And there wasn't going to be a lucky break like last time- their luck, it seemed, had finally run out. But they couldn't afford to focus on the negatives- they had to stay calm and figure a way out...if there was one.

"Sophia." Jasper kept her voice down. "Can you get out of the car on your side?"

"Yeah. I think so." Sophia whispered.

Considering their limited options, Jasper came up with a plan. It was risky- and something she'd hate herself for doing...but it would have to be done. Sophia was more important than anything...or anyone else. It didn't matter how Jasper's plan was going to play with her conscience. As long as it got Sophia away safely, the older woman didn't care how it made her feel.

"Put the hiking pack on." Jasper instructed, checking her borrowed gun.

"Okay." Sophia slipped the straps over her shoulders before tightening them- keeping a tight grip on her pocket knife. "What're you going to do?"

Jasper didn't even have time to answer, before the door opposite her flung open, revealing a man in a jacket not unlike the ones worn on the men on the motorbikes. Sophia crouched down, shaking as she sunk further down in her seat. Standing tall, the man stared at Jasper and Sophia, wide-eyed. Taking advantage of the man's shock, Jasper mustered all the strength she had left- and bolted upwards, even as the motion caused blood to seep from her wounds once more. Kicking the man in the chest as hard as she could, she clambered out after him, as he collapsed to his knees. As the other men turned to face her, having heard the commotion, she reacted quickly- turning the kneeling man until he had his back to her, putting her borrowed gun to his head...whilst holding her hunting knife to his throat.

"The fuck?" One of the men, a short but bulky man, cursed.

As each man raised a gun and moved to point it at her, Jasper took as deep a breath as she could. She had a hostage, so for now- she had the advantage. She just had to buy Sophia enough time to get away safely.

"Back the fuck off." She pulled her knife closer to her hostage's throat.

"Shit. Shit shit shit." The youngest of the men stepped back.

A few seconds of silence ticked by, neither side knowing what to say, before the tallest of the strange men spoke up.

"You do this?" He gestured to the dead bodies strewn across the ground.

"They had it coming." Jasper smirked, faking confidence.

"Why?" The tall man spoke.

"They…" Jasper realised that they couldn't see Sophia, and felt her heart lift slightly. "Came across a woman travelling all by herself. Figured they could get something out of me."

"The hell are you getting at?"

"They tried to get in my pants. I wasn't going to let that happen."

"So you killed them. All of them."

"You're damn right I did."

"What about…" the man Jasper had taken hostage started.

"You shut up!" Jasper brought her blade even closer to the man's throat, enough to draw out a few drops of blood.

At the sight, the other men took a few steps backward, clearly understanding Jasper's conviction. Some at least seemed to realise that there was weight behind Jasper's words, that she'd follow through on the threats if she had to.

"They just wanted to have a little fun, lady." The tallest man spoke up. "I mean, there aren't many ladies left out here."

"I don't give a shit about what they want." Jasper practically spat, covertly glancing back at Sophia, looking at the car door behind the young girl.

When Sophia nodded, Jasper quickly turned back.

"Seems we got a feisty one." The tall man joked.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes." Jasper spoke bluntly.

"Alright, alright." The tall man stepped backwards, raising his hands in surrender.

"Get up." Jasper ordered her hostage as she saw Sophia slowly opening her car door.

Rising to her feet, Jasper smiled slightly when she saw she stood taller than her hostage, knowing it'd give her a bigger advantage- but still kept her gun at his head, and her hunting knife at his throat. She couldn't afford to let her guard down. Not yet.

"So." The tall man spoke up again. "How do we handle this? I mean, you killed our friends here."

"They tried to-" Jasper swallowed.

Glancing to her left, she saw the young man- who she figured was Randall judging by how young he had sounded, look down in shame. Randall seemed a lot more subdued than the other men- and compared to them...he looked like a young boy. He didn't seem comfortable with these men- but he wasn't running away either. Shaking her head, she re-focused, just barely catching the sound of Sophia's door closing again. The girl was out. So Jasper just had to buy her a little more time.

"You're going to let me go." Jasper spoke confidently.

"And why is that?" The tall man took a step forward.

"If you don't, I'll slit his throat." Jasper looked at each of the men in turn, her heart sinking as the sheer number of them kept climbing up.

Thirty men...that she could see.

"Oh, will you now?" The tall man taunted.

"I killed your friends there." Jasper swallowed. "Think I won't do it again?"

The tall man sighed heavily, clearly not happy with how the situation was progressing.

"Oh, I believe you." He spoke up.

"So you know I'll kill this man to get away from you all." Jasper frowned.

"I know. Problem is, you really have no idea who you're dealing with." The tall man licked his lips.

"The hell do you-" Jasper was cut off, as the tall man pointed his gun at her.

"You wouldn't shoot. You'd have to go through him." Jasper glanced down at her hostage.

As the tall man began laughing, Jasper felt her blood run cold. These men were all just as bad as the men on the motorbikes...if not worse. Noting movement on her left, she quietly glanced in that direction- and saw Sophia crouched behind another car, looking straight at Jasper. Dread filled Jasper's heart as she realised her only option. It wasn't ideal...but there was no other way out of this for Sophia.

"Go." She mouthed silently, keeping an eye on the gun pointed in her direction.

Sophia shook her head, eyes filling with tears as she trembled with fear. It was obvious that the young girl didn't want to leave her new friend- but Jasper didn't have much of a choice. She thought the hostage would give her leverage...but after what the tall man had said, she knew there truly was no way out of this. She'd underestimated how low these men were willing to sink.

"Go to the farm." Jasper mouthed.

As Sophia quietly rose to her feet, tears streaming down her face, Jasper felt her own heart break. She didn't want to send the girl away, and into the dark by herself...but it couldn't be helped. Even as her young companion crept away, she kept turning back to look at Jasper.

Once Sophia was sufficiently far away, her quiet steps not alerting the men, Jasper turned back to face the men- who...thankfully...remained unaware of her young charge.

"Now, where were we-" Jasper started.

A shot escaped loudly from the tall man's gun, echoing loudly in every direction. Jasper saw the bullet before she felt it- saw the bullet tear through her hostage's head, spraying fragments of brains and bone across her torso...before it buried itself in her right collarbone. Crying out, Jasper fell backwards, into the car- losing her grip on her gun...and her hunting knife. As the weapons clattered to the ground, Jasper gasped, struggling to catch her breath. The shot was powerful- and it had knocked all the breath out of her, bringing with it an entirely new pain, which began radiating throughout her whole body...like fire in her veins.

As the world blurred above her, Jasper continued to gasp for breath…

A million thoughts swirling in her head.

 ** _'Again? How many times am I going to get shot? Someone has a warped sense of humour.'_**

As she gave into the darkness, Jaspse finally closed her eyes- hoping that Sophia had gotten away safely.

* * *

 ** _With Sophia…_**

* * *

As the shot rang out, Sophia froze in her tracks. Looking back, she watched as the world seemed to shift in slow motion. The young girl had turned just in time to see her older companion fall back- and the men close in on her. Sophia wanted to cry out, to scream, to run back- but she couldn't. No matter how much she wanted to run back to her new friend, she couldn't. Jasper had made sure that Sophia could get away- so she couldn't let that sacrifice be in vain. Now Sophia's only option was to walk...or rather, limp towards the farm...where she hoped her Mom would be waiting for her. The young girl picked up the pace as much as she could, though it hurt her heart to put more distance between herself and Jasper- because she hoped that the group would let Sophia lead them back to her older companion. To help Jasper. It was a stretch- they'd find it hard to justify risking their lives for a stranger, but Sophia hoped her own words would convince them.

Even if it was too late for her companion to be saved...she still had to try and get help...

Even if all they'd be doing was burying the older woman.

Sophia owed her new friend that much, at least.

* * *

 ** _With Jasper…_**

* * *

Silent as she woke, Jasper watched as the men closed in on her, each wearing an eerie and lecherous grin. Internally cursing, she willed her body to move...but found that she just couldn't. Her whole body ached with a pain unlike anything she'd ever felt before. After all the fighting, all the nights with barely any sleep...everything had finally caught up with her- at the worst possible time. It was like some cruel joke. As sweat began dripping down her, her body beginning to tremble, Jasper was forced to lie motionless, as the tall man crept into the car after her. She knew what these men wanted- and knew from them executing their own man that they'd stop at nothing to get what they desired. Even if it meant sacrificing what was left of their humanity to do so.

* * *

 ** _With Sophia…_**

* * *

Tears still streaming silently down her face, Sophia limped forwards- using her borrowed lighter in her left hand to light the way. Constantly looking all around her, the young girl soldiered onwards, pocket knife clutched tightly in her right hand- heart pounding as the pitch blackness around her seemed to close in. Even in the pale moonlight, and with the lighter, Sophia could still barely see two feet in front of her- meaning that any number of dangerous things could be lurking in the shadows.

* * *

 ** _With Jasper…_**

* * *

Chills of fear ran down Jasper's spine, as the tall man reached out to her. Face stretched into a psychotic grin, he leaned down- until his face hovered above her own. Gritting her teeth, as the man's cold hands slid down her body, Jasper knew she had two options. Either she could lie down and comply, and hope they'd leave her alive once they were done using her...or she could fight back. Fight back and go down fighting. Neither option was ideal, particularly the first, but it was all she had. There was no third option, no easy way out. Not this time.

As she felt the man undoing her belt, his eyes still locked on hers, Jasper steeled herself...and made her decision.

She was going down fighting.

* * *

 ** _With Sophia…_**

* * *

Sophia paused, when she heard movement to her right. Trembling with exhaustion and fear, she shakily raised the lighter to illuminate the area. When she saw nothing, Sophia took a few more steps forward- only to be faced with two walkers, emerging from the shadows to lunge at her. Crying out, the young girl backed away- glancing backwards to ensure that no surprises lay in wait behind her. After a moment, her heart pounding ever faster, she turned back to face the approaching walkers- and found herself dry heaving. The walkers were old- easily the most decrepit, stinking, and shambling corpses that Sophia had seen. Their bodies were grotesque, mangled messes of peeling flesh. One of the walkers eyes had been seemingly gouged out, and it's jaw hung open, tongue lolling in the open wound. The others guts had been pulled from its body, trailing behind it to leave smears of dark blood and gore on the ground. Each was as terrifying as the other- and although she had killed before, Sophia still found her hands shaking.

* * *

 ** _With Jasper…_**

* * *

Jasper forced herself to remain still and silent as the man pulled off her belt- chucking it carelessly behind him. Heart pounding, she kept her eyes on the man in front of her, even as he began tugging her jeans down. She hated this, hating playing the helpless act- but it was all she could do until she saw an opportunity to fight back. As the cool night air hit her legs, Jasper watched as the tall man gave one last tug, pulling her jeans off completely. Passing the trousers to a man behind him, he chuckled as the man jeered and laughed- chucking the jeans to each other in turns...as if this were all some twisted game. Gritting her teeth, Jasper watched as the man moved down, until his head was parallel with her knees. Seizing the opportunity, she drew on the last dregs of strength that she had left- moving her legs to drive her knees into the man's face. As the man cursed, stumbling backwards and out of the car, Jasper let out a relieved laugh.

The relief was short lived, however, as the tall man was helped up by his companions. Spitting blood from a split lip, the man pushed away his friends to stand on his own two feet. Eyes wide with rage, he crawled into the car again, climbing on top of Jasper. As he leant down, close enough that she could feel his breath on her skin, Jasper spat- the spittle hitting the man in between his eyes. Cursing, the tall man moved backwards- before reaching out a hand to slap her hard across the face.

Spitting out blood, Jasper reacted quickly again- using her last burst of energy to headbutt him. Reeling, the man screamed with fury- clenching his hands into fists.

The last thing Jasper saw before everything went black…

Was the tall man tearing her shirt open.

* * *

 ** _With Sophia…_**

* * *

Breathing heavily, Sophia continued backing away from the walkers. Heart beating faster, so much so that she almost could have sworn she'd heard it begging, Sophia took another deep breath. Gripping her pocket knife tightly, Sophia stopped backing away- planting herself firmly where she stood. Even though her nerves were on a shaking edge, she gathered all the energy she had left- and swept her good leg under the closest walkers knees...remembering what Jasper had told her the night before. Moving as quickly as she could, limping on her bad leg, Sophia jabbed her pocket knife into the other walkers skull. Her whole body shook from fear, but she still managed to pull the knife back out. As the other corpse lunged at her, Sophia dodged- before letting out a cry and driving the pocket knife deep into the base of the shambling walker's skull.

Pulling the blade out again, she watched as both walkers crumpled into the heap on the floor...letting out a sigh of relief. After allowing herself a moment to catch her breath- and check the space around her, Sophia set off again.

As she recollected the directions on the sign that her Mom and the others had left, Sophia picked up the pace.

 ** _Sophia, we're at a farm 2 miles down the road. There's a sign on the right of the road. We'll come back to this sign every day to see if you're here._**

There wasn't far to go now.

Sophia just hoped that...Jasper would be alive when she came back.

* * *

 ** _Later, at Hershel's Farm..._**

* * *

The group looked in stunned silence at the carnage before them- the now dead walkers from the barn strewn across the bloodied ground in a grisly display, illuminated by the dawning sun. Dark blood and chunks of gore littered the now drenched grass- the stench of it all making their stomachs churn. After all, none of them had been prepared for the sheer volume of corpses inside, and neither had they been ready to deal with them. The tension between Hershel and Shane had been bad enough before all this- both men sharing wildly different views of how they should run things. Rick had hoped that the two men would be able to get along someday...but after this? They'd killed all the barn walkers- some being Hershel's own flesh and blood. Rick knew they could never repair the damage that Shane had done. Sure, it was wrong to have the walkers so close to where they slept, but it was Hershel's farm- and he'd been kind enough to let them stay as long as they had.

Just as Rick was preparing to speak up, to say something...anything...to relieve the tension,the group heard more moaning coming from within the barn. As they all turned to look at the barn's entrance...their blood collectively ran cold.

A walker...a child corpse...was stumbling out into the daylight. The poor child was footless, clothed in only some singed, torn shorts. But that wasn't the worst part. The rest of the walker had been burned to hell- it's eyes melted in their now gaping sockets.

And the kid...the kid was...going by height...around Sophia's age.

As a single terrible thought crossed their minds, the group turned to look at Carol- who had frozen where she stood to look at the child corpse...eyes brimming with tears.

Carol took a few tentative steps forward, all eyes on her.

But, before she could go any further...she heard someone shouting.

"MOM!" a voice called out.

Heart skipping a beat, Carol turned to look in the direction of the familiar voice…

And saw Sophia…

Her Sophia, in the near distance...

Limping towards her.

"SOPHIA!" Carol screamed at the top of her lungs, ignoring the tragic sound of Rick shooting the child walker behind her.

* * *

 ** _With Sophia…_**

* * *

Hearing her Mom's voice, Sophia found a renewed strength within herself- and picked up the pace even more. Her heart pounded as she desperately began closing the distance between them- watching as her Mom drew ever closer. Tears streaming down her face, Sophia took a final few steps- and found herself embraced in her Mom's arms. The two of them collapsed to the ground in relief- Sophia dropping her pocket knife to return her Moms embrace. As they cried into each other's shoulders, the rest of the world seemed to fade away- giving them a few blissful moments of peace.

"Oh, my baby girl." Carol sniffed, tears running down her face. "My baby girl."

"Mom…" Sophia choked out.

Even the sound of the rest of the group running towards them couldn't shatter the tender moment. As the seconds ticked by in near silence, it seemed like they'd been apart for lifetimes- when it had only been a matter of days. They'd all spent so many nights sleepless, worrying about Sophia...and now...here she was. Keeping their distance, the rest of the group watched on with wide smiles on their faces.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Carol sniffed. "I love you...so...so much."

"I love you too." Sophia sobbed.

After everything she'd gone through in her lost days, Sophia wanted nothing more than to stay safe and warn in her Mom's arms. So she did, and for a few blissful moments, it was almost as if the world hadn't ended around them. It was just the two of them- in their own little bubble...and for a little while...it felt as if the bubble couldn't burst, and that they would be safe as long as they stayed there.

"You've been so brave." Carol shook from the sheer relief. "My brave little girl."

"I'm so glad you're okay." Sophia sniffed.

"Me too, baby. Me too." Carol smiled for the first time in days. "Oh, I'm so proud of you."

"Why?"

"Because you made it through all by yourself."

As her Mom hugged her tighter, Sophia found her mine drifting to that night so many weeks ago...when she'd seen the bombs drop on Atlanta.

Her whole body shakes as the smell of sulphur and smoke fills the air- and she hugs her Mom tighter.

"All those people…" she cries.

"Baby, look at me." her Mom speaks firmly, though her own eyes glisten with tears.

Her Mom puts her hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eyes.

"It's going to be okay." her Mom speaks.

"How do you know?" she sniffs.

"Because you're still here. And I'm still here. We're both still here"

Part of Sophia wanted to just stay there and enjoy the peace and quiet...but she couldn't. Although every part of her just wanted to hug her Mom and never let go again...she knew she couldn't. It took every ounce of Sophia's remaining strength to pull away from her Mom's embrace. But she did it, her heart breaking at the confusion in her Mom's eyes. As she searched for the right words to say, Sophia noticed her Mom staring at the bandages on her leg.

"Your leg…" Carol noticed the bandages.

"I'm not bitten." Sophia spoke quickly. "I just hurt it when I was running. My new friend helped me."

"New friend?" Carol frowned.

"Her name is Jasper. She's a doctor. And she's in trouble!" Sophia stressed.

The group exchanged concerned glances- remembering the bloodstained doctors coat that Daryl had brought back...the one dripping with pieces of walker guts.

"Trouble? Baby, what are you talking about?" Carol put her hands on Sophia's shoulders.

"There was these men...on the highway. They tried to hurt us, so...so she distracted them...we have to go back for her!" Sophia got to her feet.

"Slow down." Rick tried to calm her. "We're all glad you're alright. Just calm down."

Taking a deep breath, Sophia kept glancing at the path leading into the farm.

"Now tell us what happened." Rick moved closer.

Knowing that they'd likely not move until they had the whole story, Sophia steeled herself- before starting to tell the story of her lost days...right from the very beginning.

"Mr Grimes hid me from the walkers...but I thought he wasn't coming back." Sophia started.

Rick stepped back a little, avoiding Carol's gaze.

"So I ran." Sophia continued. "And I fell down this hill."

"By the water?" Daryl stepped forward.

"Yeah." Sophia nodded.

"Found your doll there." Daryl realized.

"You did?" Sophia smiled.

When Daryl nodded, Sophia smiled wider- but continued talking, knowing time was of the essence for her friend.

"I hurt my leg, and the walkers almost got me. But this lady, a doctor- her names Jasper- she helped me." Sophia explained. "We have go to help her!"

"Slow down, now." Rick tried reasoning.

"No!" Sophia spoke adamantly.

"Sophia!" Carol was surprised by the young girl's tone.

"I need to go back for her- we have to go back for her!" Sophia scrambled to her feet.

"Just tell us what happened." Rick pursued.

Sophia sighed, exasperated- but explained herself, knowing the group would not risk anything unless they had some idea of what was going on.

"There were these men, and Jasper talked to them. Then she wanted me to get away on the horse." Sophia spoke rapidly. "She said they were bad men...they kept asking how old I was."

Carol paled, taking in just what her daughter was implying.

"She tried talking, so I could get away...but they shot her." Sophia swallowed. "Then they shot the horse. I fell off."

Carol took Sophia's hands in her own, listening intently.

"One of the men...he came after me. The way he looked at me was...really weird." Sophia shuddered. "He was going to hurt me, so...I…"

"Take your time, Sophia." Rick stepped forward.

"I took my knife, and I…" Sophia shivered again. "I killed him."

Everyone froze, looking at the little girl in front of them. Mere days ago, they'd known her as meek and quiet, and now...she just told them that she'd killed a man. How had she matured so much in a matter of days?

"Baby...you killed someone?" Carol spoke slowly.

"I...I had to. Jasper said it was the right thing...because he hurt me." Sophia kept looking back at the road leading into the farm anxiously. "Then she killed the rest."

""She did?" Rick frowned. ""How many?"

""Five." Sophia answered. "She shot them'"

"Didn't you hear shots last night?" Rick turned to Shane.

"Shit." Shane shook his head.

Frustrated, Sophia spoke up again.

"Look, more of them came- I think they shot her again." Sophia spoke quickly. "We have to go back for her."

Unsure of what to say, reeling from everything she'd just heard, Carol rose to her feet- and turned round to face the others. Each of them was looking at her and Sophia- none of them knowing quite what to say.

"We should check it out." Rick reasoned.

"We really going to?" Shane shook his head. "Risk lives- our lives- for a stranger?"

"Sophia said this woman helped her." Rick glanced at Sophia. "You said she was a doctor?"

"A surgeon." Sophia reaffirmed.

"Come on." Rick spoke up again. "Shane, this woman saved Sophia. And a surgeon? She could keep an eye on Carl."

"I don't like it." Shane shook his head.

"You never do." Rick spoke back.

* * *

 ** _With Jasper…_**

* * *

When she finally began to wake up, Jasper became acutely aware of the burning pain coursing through her body- along with a tired ache in her legs. As the events of the night before slowly began to come back to her, Jasper forced her eyes open- to find herself greeted by the sight of the car roof. She soon realized that they hadn't moved her...but judging by how much she hurt...they'd done far worse. Swallowing to calm her rising nerves, she looked around her- relieved when she saw no one in the car with her. After a moment, leaning heavily on her elbows, she pulled herself up into a sitting position-grimacing when she saw blood seeping from her gunshot wounds once more. Seeing the bruises on her legs and inner thighs, it took all she had not to scream. Yes, it seemed like someone had cleaned her up- but other than that, she just been left in the car...discarded. Shaking her head, she listened carefully, trying to grasp what was happening outside. When she was met with silence, she found herself confused.

Struggling forwards, she peeled back a corner of one of the blankets- and saw several trucks parked outside- the bodies of the men she'd killed stacked in the back of the vehicles. The men were all still there- and had clearly left her alone either because they were done using her, or because they believed she had no fight in her. They'd underestimated her- something that may must have saved her life. Body shaking, she fought back the tears that threatened to flow. Whilst she'd been out cold all night, the bruises on her inner thighs and the aches told her what those men had done to her. They'd used her. With silent tears streaming down her face, Jasper took as deep a breath as she could- she couldn't break down now. She was still alive- that meant something, at least.

But she was still unarmed. Looking around, she found nothing of use- and she couldn't exactly shatter the windows...it'd likely wake all the men up. As she poured over the possible ways of escape, Jasper pulled one of the blankets off of the window- using it to cover herself...only to be met by a walker staring through the window. Covering her mouth to muffle her cry of surprise, Jasper observed the corpse. It had clearly smelled the blood from her wounds- but hadn't been able to see her until she revealed herself. Locking eyes with Jasper, the walker began banging on the window. As the shambler feebly bashed at the glass, Jasper noticed that the walker seemed familiar. It was tall, wiry….and was fully clothed in biker leathers. The wiry man! But he'd...they'd not seen any bites of scratches on him. So how had he turned?!

Still reeling from confusion and shock, Jasper watched as more walkers began pushing on her window- all wearing the same biker leathers as the men she and Sophia had killed. Somehow, despite not being bitten- at least she hadn't seen any bites- the men had all reanimated. Was it the bite that did it, then? Or was it just…

"WHAT THE FUCK?" a man shouting from one of the trucks startled Jasper out of her thoughts.

The sound of gunshots soon filled the air- and a few of the walkers began moving away from the car window. As they shuffled out of view, attention on the loud shots, Jasper could hear some of the men screaming- and found herself smiling slightly at the cruel kick of karma. She wouldn't normally wish death at a walker's hands upon anyone, but these vile men deserved everything that was coming to them. Even as sweat beaded on her face, she crawled across to the window- watching as the men struggled to get away from the walkers...clearly as shocked as she had been. Keeping out of sight, Jasper peered out through the window.

Soon after the shooting had begun, the men began scrambling back into their trucks- and onto their motorcycles. In amongst all the chaos, Jasper caught the youngest man, Randall, looking her way- pale faced, before hopping into a truck. With copious amounts of shouting and swearing, the men drove straight over some of the bodies of their dead comrades- until their vehicles were nothing but dark spots in the distance.

Barely able to believe what had happened, Jasper gave herself a few more moments to breathe- ducking down out of sight for a moment just to be safe...before looking up again to survey the situation outside. The walkers seemed to be heading after the vehicles- drawn by the noise. And those left...hadn't gotten up yet. Taking a deep breath, Jasper discarded the blanket- ignoring the pain as blood began seeping from her wounds once more. Reaching forward with trembling arms, she cautiously opened the door. Looking all around her, she only saw the fresh bodies- thankfully still lying on the ground.

Shifting forward, she cautiously placed her bare feet on the ground- leaning heavily on the car. Taking a deep breath, she used the door to pull herself to her feet. Trembling, she took a careful step forward- only to have her legs give out beneath her. Crumpling unceremoniously into a heap on the floor, she landed right on top of one of the bodied...the body of the tall man that had been in the car with her. It'd been hard to spot him in all the confusion, despite his height- but now his body lay underneath her, clear as day.

Struggling to fight back the tears that threatened to fall, Jasper managed to crawl away from his body. Though she ached all over,she knew she had to get moving- if people could reanimate without bites, like the men on the motorcycles...then these corpses were ticking time bombs.

Taking deep breaths, Jasper hauled herself upwards- watching with morbid curiosity as blood from her wounds began dripping down her body. Constantly looking all around her, she eventually found her clothes...each piece of clothing on a different man. Grimacing, she inspected each item- and thankfully found them untouched.

Shuddering, she reached down- to attempt to dress herself…

Only to see her vision blurring once more.

Her whole body beginning to shake, Jasper looked blearily at the horizon…

Watching as two trucks approached…

Before finally giving in to the darkness…

And blacking out.

* * *

 ** _With Sophia…_**

* * *

After a heated argument between Rick and Shane- over whether or not they should risk their lives for a stranger, the group finally decided upon sending Rick, Daryl, Shane, and Carol. Along with a very insistent Sophia. They left everyone else behind to deal with the fallout of the barn- something no one was looking forward to confronting when they got back. After all, it'd been a shock to all of them. Whilst they'd known about the walkers for some time, none of them knew just how many were in there...or that there was a child corpse among them. Add to that this rescue mission for an unknown stranger...and tensions were running high. As the group approached the blockade on the highway, each of them prepared their weapons- but nothing could have prepared them for what they saw.

At least a dozen bodies lined the highway, torn up and mangled...blood lying in huge, congealed pools. Severed limbs littered the ground- chewed deep enough to expose the torn muscles and splintered bone beneath...and guts lay strewn on the ground, shimmering grotesquely in the sunlight.

"Those the men you were talking about?" Rick kept his hands on the steering wheel, glancing at Sophia in the passenger seat.

"Some of them." Sophia answered, before pushing her door open.

"You wait here, alright?" Rick undid his seatbelt, checking his gun...before getting out of the truck.

"I need to go with him." Sophia struggled with her own seatbelt.

"Sophia, sweetie." Carol spoke softly, leaning forward from her seat in the back. "Just wait in the truck."

"My friend is out there." Sophia protested, watching as Daryl and Shane followed after Rick.

"I know." Carol sighed.

"So I have to go!" Sophia finally managed to undo her seatbelt.

"Wait here. Please, baby. It's not safe." Carol pleaded.

Sophia wanted nothing more than to run after the others- to see her new friend again. Taking one look at her Mom's face, so weary and pale, she reluctantly sat back down- watching intently as the others made their way down the highway.

* * *

 ** _With Rick, Shane, and Daryl…_**

* * *

As they stepped over body after body, the men looked at each other silently. After all, with each mangled body they passed, the likelihood of finding Sophia's friend alive decreased. None of them spoke- none of them knew what to say. They'd all seen their fair share of death since the world ended...but they'd never seen quite such fresh and graphic carnage. Nothing on this scale...at least...not since Atlanta. They hoped they'd never get used to seeing so much blood and gore- even though it had become their . Cautiously, they pressed forward- until they came to a pile up of a further half dozen bodies- some even more mangled than the rest.

Weapons at the ready, the three of them came to a stop...when they spotted a body different from all the others.

The body of a woman…

Bruised and bleeding out.


	8. Nebraska (Part 1)

**Author's Note:**

Hey there! Thanks for clicking on my fanfiction, **Sophia's Lost Days**. This is an idea that I've had floating around in my head for some time- and since I've been rewatching the series, I figured it was time to give it a shot.

 _This should be around 13 chapters, each one titled after the respective Season 2 episodes so you have an idea of where the story is in the timeline. The chapters will link to the episode title in one way or another._

If this story does well, I will do a sequel following the events of the season 2 and the following seasons.

 **Please enjoy this first part of the eighth chapter of Sophia's Lost Days.**

As always, reviews are appreciated- feedback is essential. Helps me know what to change and/or improve upon.

 _If I haven't replied to your review, please let me know! I reply to every review I receive! I am very grateful for the support so far!_

As always, let me know if you spot any spelling or grammatical errors.

Although I am using the TV versions of the characters, I will be drawing more on the comics for inspiration. As in, the Governor will be as brutal as he is in the comics, and Negan will swear like he does in the comics. Just a heads up.

 **Also, sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I wasn't sure how to start off the Chapter, but once I figured that part out, it was easier. I looked up which of Hershel's family were in the barn because I couldn't remember. Also, I didn't include Lori's car crash because that part has always frustrated me. Lori just took off without telling Carl or anyone else.**

From here on out, updates will probably be once a week, maybe twice if I'm feeling particularly inspired.

I know this chapter is short, but I was struggling with writer's block. The next chapter will be longer and more intense, I promise. Sorry!

 _Here's a new feature..._

 **Songs I listened to while writing this chapter (in case it helps anyone with inspiration):**

Einar Selvik (Snake Pit Poetry) - _Trevor Morris._

If I Had A Heart (Fever Ray) - _Trevor Morris._

Wardruna (Blood Eagle) - _Trevor Morris._

Dark Vampire Music (The Vampire Masquerade- Waltz) - _Peter Gundry._

Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Dracula Untold trailer song) - _Lorde_.

Iron (Assassins Creed Revelations Trailer) - _Woodkid._

Run Boy Run (Dying Light Trailer) - _Woodkid._

The Wolf Among Us Prologue Song (10 Minute Seamless Loop) - _Telltale Games._

Solas Theme (Extended) - _Trevor Morris._

The Shape Of Water (Soundtrack) - _Alexandre Desplat, Andy Williams, Caterina Valente, Silvio Francesco, Carmen Miranda, Glenn Miller, and Madeleine Peyroux._

* * *

 **Story Stats!**

 **Reviews:** 24

 _Thanks to all who have reviewed so far!_

 **Favourites:** 11

 _Thanks for the favourites!_

 **Followers:** 18

 _Thank you for following this story!_

 **Word count:** _3,443!_

 **Last Edited:** 18/3/18 (Grammatical errors corrected)

* * *

 **Chapter 8 -**

 _Nebraska (Part 1) -_

* * *

 ** _With Rick, Shane, and Daryl…_**

* * *

The three men stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do...before the body before them began to move. Standing with their weapons at the ready, they slowly edged forward- watching as the woman rose up. Leaning on her elbows, she looked around blearily, eyes glazed- but undoubtedly alive...and more than a little dazed. Covered in congealed blood and purpling bruises, she shook all over- looking eerily similar to the corpses around her. However, once she caught sight of the three men coming towards her, her eyes seemed to come more alive- burning with fury. Face reddening, the woman leant to the side- ignoring the blood dripping from her wounds as she reached for a piece of cloth to cover herself with. Glancing behind herself, the woman began backing away. Keeping her eye on the three men, the woman struggled to her feet- only to sway as she got halfway up. Blinking rapidly, the woman continued backing away- somehow managing to straighten up. As she backed away, the woman looked beyond the three guys- and caught sight of the trucks.

"You with them?" she shakily gestured to the men on the ground. "Come to finish me off?"

"No!" Rick spoke quickly. "We're not with them."

"Really?" the woman seemed suspicious. "You expect me to believe-"

"We're with Sophia." Rick interrupted, lowering his gun slightly.

"Sophia?" the woman's' face lit up despite her wounds. "She's alright?"

"She's fine." Rick spoke reassuringly. "She told us about you. You're...Jasper, right? A surgeon?"

"That's me." Jasper took a step forward, paling slightly.

"Sophia said you saved her." Daryl confirmed.

"I...suppose I did." Jasper grimaced, pulling the cloth tighter around herself. "I told her I'd get her back to her Mom."

"You did." Rick nodded. "They're back there, in the truck."

"They are?" Jasper paused.

Before any of the men could speak up again, Jasper began swaying on her feet. Stumbling, she caught herself on a car door- barely managing to stay on her feet. Blood had begun dripping faster from her wound, staining the cloth...and judging by how pale she was...she couldn't afford to lose anymore. Rick took another step forward, cautiously- not wanting to escalate the situation unnecessarily. Noting the man's hesitation, Jasper coughed slightly...and attempted to clear her throat- pulling the cloth tighter around herself.

"I'm...I'm fine." she swallowed, before swaying again.

Mere moments later, she lost her grip on the car door- as her whole body began to shake violently. Grimacing, Jasper made eye contact with Rick- eyes strong despite her state.

"I'm fine." Jasper started, before grimacing again. "Fuck-"

She didn't get time to finish her words…

Before her eyes rolled up into the back of her head...

And she pitched forward…

Unconscious.

Moving quickly, the three men darted forwards- Daryl dropping his crossbow as he rushed to Jasper's side. Careful not to jostle her too much, he quietly wrapped the cloth around her tighter- covering her as decently as he could. Once satisfied that she was covered enough, he took a deep breath. He knew they didn't have a lot of time. Quietly, he moved Jasper into his arms- almost cradling her, so as not to disturb her wounds any further. Slowly rising to his feet, looking the woman up and down, he turned to face Rick and Shane- who were looking at him in a mixture of surprise and shock. They seemed pleasantly surprised at how fast he had reacted.

"How is she?" Rick picked up Daryl's crossbow before straightening up.

"Not good." Daryl answered.

"In what way?" Shane pursued.

"Lost a lot of blood." Daryl answered. "Looks like she took a beating. And this…"

Following Daryl's gaze, Rick and Shane drew their attention to the grisly wound on Jasper's face- a with neat...albeit torn...stitches. The stitches had likely been torn in the scuffle that Sophia had mentioned. Torn stitches were never pretty- Daryl knew from experience. He also knew that the edges of the wound being an angry red, and swollen were telltale signs of infection.

"It's infected. Other wounds probably are too." Daryl spoke bluntly- they didn't have time for a long winded explanation.

"Then we need to get her to Hershel." Rick began jogging back to the trucks.

"If he'll help." Daryl picked up the pace, pointedly glancing back at Shane.

Shane picked up on the hunters words...and remained at the back, watching the others in silence…

Unsure of what kind of welcome they'd get once they returned to the farm.

* * *

 ** _Later, at Hershel's Farm..._**

* * *

The atmosphere in the living room was tense- everyone's nerves marinating in silence. None of them spoke up- for no one knew what to say, or how to react. No simple words could encompass the kaleidoscope of emotions that the group were feeling. After all, in the space of just a few hours, everything had changed. Sophia had returned alive, and mostly well- after days of them all believing she was dead. That alone would be difficult for anyone to handle- but Shane had taken them overboard by tearing open the barn. The destruction of the barn walkers had long reaching consequences. The sheer volume of walkers had almost overwhelmed them- and the sight of familiar faces was almost too much for the Greene family, in particular, to bear. Hershel's son Shawn had been in there-along with his second wife, Annette...and his nephew, Arnold. The sight of family members risen as shambling corpses was even worse for Beth- who had now slipped into a state of shock...and lay almost comatose in one of the bedrooms. In the aftermath of all this, Hershel had disappeared. And now they had an injured stranger in another bedroom. The presence of Jasper was only adding to the tension- but no one vocalised it. After all, the woman had saved Sophia's life on many occasions. Add to that the fact that she'd likely die of blood loss or infection unless Hershel turned up...and things were pretty dire. The group hadn't felt so desperate since Carl first got shot- and they knew that the silence would only last for so long. Sooner or later, Shane would start yelling again- which would only make things worse.

As Maggie came down the stairs with Patricia, both pale-faced and bloodstained, the rest of the group seemed to forget the tension for a moment...and turned to look at the two women. After a few more moments of silence persisted, Sophia was the first to speak up.

"How is she?" Sophia bit her lip.

She didn't need to mention a name. They all knew who Sophia was referring to. The strange woman- Jasper- who had defied the odds to get Sophia back to them. The one who had nearly bled out on the highway. Almost guiltily, Maggie glanced at Carol- who nodded sombrely. Taking a deep breath, Maggie steadied herself- before speaking up. Delivering bad news was never her strong suit- but she also knew that sugarcoating it was just as bad.

"Not too good, I'm afraid." Maggie sighed, sitting down as Glenn vacated his seat.

"She's lost a lot of blood. Infection's setting in on her face. Started in the gunshot wounds." Patricia shook her head. "And I don't need to be a surgeon to know those men did some damage themselves. We cleaned her up as best we could, gave her some clothes…"

"What...did they do?" Rick spoke up, awkwardly interrupting.

Shane frowned, before shaking his head. Initially, he'd not wanted to go with Rick and Daryl to retrieve Jasper. He didn't trust strangers. He'd thought that...sure, she'd saved Sophia but he'd believed there had to be some underlying, ulterior motive- there had to be. He'd thought on how no one helped another person willingly, without promise of reward- not these days. Not since the world ended. The undead rising had changed everyone- but Shane, of course, kept these thoughts to himself.

Everyone else seemed willing to welcome Jasper with open arms- ready to roll out the welcome wagon the moment she woke up. Seeing the state Jasper was in, Shane was willing to forget his earlier suspicions and play along. But one of them had to keep their guard up...no matter what. After all, being careful was what had gotten them through...so far. Even if Rick didn't always agree.

"You saw the bruises." Patricia scoffed, piercing the silence again. "Bunch of…"

Patricia took a deep breath. She didn't need to explain further- everyone could guess what the men had done to their guest. The knowledge that they'd originally intended to assault Sophia, an underage girl...made matters worse- it told them that the men had no morals...and likely wouldn't have shown a shred of remorse. The world had truly gone to shit.

"Is she gonna make it?" Sophia pursued.

Carol smiled sadly at the young girls genuine concern, and pulled Sophia closer to her.

"If my dad was here, she could make it. Without him…" Maggie struggled to hold back tears.

The events of the day were beginning to take their toll on the eldest Greene sister...and it was taking all she had not to burst into tears.

"And...Beth?" Lori spoke softly.

"No change." Maggie spoke bluntly, glaring at Shane. "Can't get her to say or do anything."

"Look…" Shane started.

"Not another word from you. You've done enough." Maggie turned away.

Gritting his teeth, Shane looked down. What he had done was to protect the group- even if some of them didn't see it that way right now. They'd been crazy to let the barn of walker stay the way it was for so long- what if they'd broken out? What if they'd gotten out whilst they were sleeping? Luckily, these were questions they'd never had to answer. Yes, Shane knew he had done the right thing- even if it had landed the group in hot water with their hosts. Sooner or later, Rick would see that. He hoped he would, at least.

"So what do we do?" Sophia piped up again.

"We find Hershel." Rick stood up. "And bring him back safely. For Beth...and for Jasper."

Heaving a sigh of relief, Maggie looked at Rick- flashing a tired smile at the former Sheriff's Deputy. Whilst she was furious with Shane for putting everyone in this position- Rick had remained a voice of calm and reason. Something that she was grateful for- none of them would be able to take much more stress. The tension had them all balancing on a figurative tightrope- the slightest disturbance would distrust them.

"I'll go with you." Glenn spoke confidently. "I've been talking to Hershel. I can help."

"Sounds good." Rick agreed. "Maggie, Patricia...any idea where he might be?"

The two women exchanged nervous glances, before Maggie eventually replied.

"At the bar in town." Maggie clasped her hands together. "He...used to drink a lot. A while back."

"Then that's where we'll start." Rick checked his gun. "Rest of you stay here. All those gunshots might have attracted some unwanted attention- so we'll need all of you here in case anything happens."

The rest of the group murmured in agreement.

As Rick and Glenn headed out the door, pouring over a map of the area, Shane watched.

Rick had taken him along earlier…

But now, Rick had left his friend behind.

And that didn't sit well with Shane.

Not one bit.

* * *

 ** _With Sophia…_**

* * *

Sometime after Rick had departed, along with Glenn, to find Hershel, Maggie and Patricia gave Sophia the OK to visit their new guest- avoiding the young girl's hopeful gaze. Almost immediately, Sophia hopped up and out of her Mom's arms, and climbed up the stairs as fast as her injured leg would let her. It had been agony to wait whilst Maggie and Patricia worked, and now...now she could see her friend again. Mere moments passed before Sophia was in Jasper's room, opposite Beths, footsteps creaking on the old floorboards. The smile of relief on Sophia's face soon faded upon seeing her friend, the harsh reality setting in. In the broad daylight, Jasper seemed paler than she had ever been- the dark purple bruises across her body standing out starkly against her near white skin. Her almost gaunt appearance was only accentuated by her borrowed clothing, and the almost gaudy patchwork duvet that had been pulled up to her shoulders. Sophia sighed heavily- the older woman had seemed so tall next to Sophia, when she'd been fighting...but now...she looked so incredibly small. It hurt. She'd not looked so bad when Sophia had last seen her...but maybe that had been just wishful belief...and the darkness of the car on the highway. The full extent of what her new friend had experienced hit Sophia like a sledgehammer- and it took all she had not to fall to her knees in exhaustion and sorrow. Sniffling, she took a seat at the end of the bed, careful not to move around too much.

"I hope you wake up soon." Sophia spoke quietly. "My Mom's here. I think she's going to like you."

Sophia wasn't sure if Jasper could hear her or not- she'd heard somewhere once that talking to someone unconscious could help- but she still talked.

After all, it couldn't hurt to try.

* * *

 ** _Later, with Rick and Glenn…_**

* * *

Tentatively, the two men approached the bar- looking all around...keeping their guard up. Taking great care not to make too much noise, they soon arrived at the bars doors- noting the misted shadow of someone sitting inside. Spending a moment in silence, Rick looked at Glenn- waiting until the younger man nodded before he pushed the doors open. Almost instantly, they felt a wave of relief- Hershel was in the bar. Sitting in dead silence, the man was sat on a bar stool- blearily examining the crystalline glass in his hands...and the bottle of alcohol next to him.

"Hershel?" Rick spoke up, keeping his voice down so as not to startle the man.

"Who's with you?" Hershel sighed.

"Glenn." Rick answered.

Noting Hershel's lack of any kind of emotion in his voice, Rick and Glenn stepped forward. A moment of silence passed before Hershel spoke again.

"Maggie send him?" Hershel asked, still looking down at his glass.

"He volunteered." Rick answered. "He's good like that."

As Rick joined Hershel at the bar, the older man took a long sip of his alcohol- an amber bottle of whiskey. Watching as the man took down the drink with ease, Rick spoke up again.

"How many have you had?" Rick leaned against the bar.

Hershel sighed- a long, weary sigh.

"Not enough."

* * *

 ** _Some time later…_**

* * *

Rick stood in the open doorway- growing increasingly frustrated. He knew- they all knew- that Beth and Jasper were running out of time. Hershel still seemed unwilling to listen- and it was beginning to drive Rick mad.

"So. What's the plan?" Rick raised his voice. "Drink yourself to death? Leave your girls alone?"

"Don't tell me how to raise my girls." Hershel stepped forward.

Glenn also stepped forward- looking from Rick to Hershel as the tension rose.

* * *

 ** _Back on the Farm, with Sophia…_**

* * *

After Lori's disappearing act, the farm had become even more full with tension- but Sophia managed to stay away from it all. It wasn't easy, hearing the grown ups argue- but she managed. After all, there was someone who needed her. Jasper. The woman had begun trembling again over the past hour- and sweat had begun to drip down her forehead. Both were signs that even Sophia could recognise- they meant that her friend had a fever. And judging by the looks of pity on everyone's faces...it wasn't a mild one. It seemed so strange to Sophia- the woman had been injured almost an unbelievable amount of times over the last several days...and now it seemed as if it would be the infection that killed her. The same thing that would have taken Sophia - had Jasper not come along. The irony in the switch of roles wasn't lost on Sophia- but she was at least glad that she could keep Jasper company. She wanted to help in any way that she could. Even if it was something as little as dabbing a cold cloth from a bowl of water onto the older woman's head.

"Come on." Sophia spoke quietly. "Please, you've got to wake up soon."

* * *

 ** _With Rick, Glenn, and Hershel…_**

* * *

Just as it seemed as if Rick were finally getting through to Hershel, the bar doors swung open- causing the three men to turn around rapidly. Their hearts collectively skipped a beat as two men- strangers- entered the room. The strangers seemed just as surprised to see Rick, Glenn, and Hershel- so for a few moments, both sides could do nothing but stare at one another. As a few minutes of tense silence passed, before the skinnier of the other two men spoke up.

"Son of a bitch." The man shook his head. "You're alive."


	9. Nebraska (Part 2)

**Author's Note:**

Hey there! Thanks for clicking on my fanfiction, **Sophia's Lost Days**. This is an idea that I've had floating around in my head for some time- and since I've been rewatching the series, I figured it was time to give it a shot.

 _This should be around 13 chapters, each one titled after the respective Season 2 episodes so you have an idea of where the story is in the timeline. The chapters will link to the episode title in one way or another._

If this story does well, I will do a sequel following the events of the season 2 and the following seasons.

 **Please enjoy this second part of the eighth chapter of Sophia's Lost Days.**

As always, reviews are appreciated- feedback is essential. Helps me know what to change and/or improve upon.

 _If I haven't replied to your review, please let me know! I reply to every review I receive! I am very grateful for the support so far!_

As always, let me know if you spot any spelling or grammatical errors.

 **Although I am using the TV versions of the characters, I will be drawing more on the comics for inspiration. As in, the Governor will be as brutal as he is in the comics, and Negan will swear like he does in the comics. Just a heads up.**

Here is a trigger warning for mentions of sexual assault and other mature themes.

From here on out, updates will probably be once a week, maybe twice if I'm feeling particularly inspired.

 _I know this chapter took a while to come out, but I decided to read this fic from the start in order to get out of my writer's block and remind myself of a few facts._

 **I also wanted to deliver on my promise of featuring a wider variety of characters.**

I noticed a number of grammar and spelling errors so I went back and edited all the previous chapters.

 _Here's a new feature..._

 **Songs I listened to while writing this chapter (in case it helps anyone with inspiration):**

This is Me (Movie Soundtrack) - _Benj Pasek and Justin Paul._

Dragon Age Inquisition (Game Soundtrack) - _Trevor Morris._

Centuries - _Fallout Boy._

Dragon Age Origins (Game Soundtrack) - _Inon Zur._

The Witcher 3 (Game Soundtrack) - _Various artists._

The Prince of Egypt (Movie Soundtrack) - _Various artists._

* * *

 **Story Stats!**

 **Reviews:** 28

 _Thanks to all who have reviewed so far!_

 **Favourites:** 13

 _Thanks for the favourites!_

 **Followers:** 23

 _Thank you for following this story!_

 **Word count:** _7,961!_

I decided to divert from the canon storyline somewhat- to separate my story from the thousands of other fan fictions.

* * *

 **Chapter 8 -**

 _Nebraska (Part 2) -_

* * *

 ** _With Rick, Glenn, and Hershel…_**

* * *

The five men stared at each other in awkward silence for several minutes- each of them focusing on the other's guns. The two newcomers clearly hadn't expected to find anyone in the bar- much less anyone alive. The tension in the air grew so thick it was almost stifling- enough so that it took a full five minutes before anyone dared speak. After all, it wasn't exactly easy to start up a conversation with a stranger, now that the world had gone to shit. You couldn't exactly take any chances. Taking a deep breath, the skinnier of the two men stepped forward, a strange confidence in his walk. Looking around, he cleared his throat. Smiling slightly, he holstered his gun- a further attempt to alleviate the rising tension. Noting the man's attempts, Rick mirrored him- tucking his gun away. Although hesitant, Glenn, Hershel- and the slim man's companion- also put their weapons away. Almost immediately, they all seemed to relax a little- although Rick kept his guard up. Couldn't afford to relax.

"I'm Dave." the slimmer man spoke up. "And this is Tony."

"Thought you were the dead at first." Tony adjusted his hat. "Nice to meet people who are alive for once."

"Same here." Hershel spoke calmly.

A further moment of tense silence passed, before Hershel broke the ice, keeping a calm demeanor.

"Can I get you two fine men something to drink?" Hershel smiled.

"Wouldn't say no." Dave chuckled. "Been a while since we've had a drink."

"Pick your poison, gentlemen." Hershel moved behind the bar.

As the others gradually moved up, tentatively taking a seat on the old bar stools, Hershel reached under the counter- and produced an old, dusty bottle. The bottle was a strange shape- and the faded label added to it's aged appearance. Noting the bottles age, and where Hershel had found it, Tony spoke up- trying to make conversation.

"You the owner?" Tony asked.

"No, I'm not." Hershel answered. "I knew the owner, though. He was a good man. Saw me at my worst a few times."

"He gone now?" Tony spoke carefully.

"Unfortunately." Hershel sighed. "Left behind some fine whiskey, though."

"I'm...uh...sorry to hear that." Tony sounded awkward. "But...I'm not gonna say no to his whiskey."

As Hershel laid out a series of crystalline glasses- and popped open the old bottle- Rick studied the men. The two of them seemed genuine- they were willing enough to put down their weapons- but something about them seemed off. Glenn and Hershel hadn't picked up on it- but Rick had been a cop. He knew when people were lying or faking...and these men were definitely faking. Their smiles were a little too wide, almost manufactured- like there was nothing behind those smiles. It was almost unnerving- so much so that it didn't take long for Rick to start getting suspicious. Given that the two men seemed well fed, relatively clean,and travelled light...they had to have been travelling with a group. And there couldn't be many groups still surviving this far into the end of the world.

"So." Rick picked up his glass. "Where're you two from?"

"Philadelphia." Dave answered, after taking a sip of his drink.

"You're some way from home." Hershel noticed Rick's tense stance.

"Dangerous in the cities." Dave shrugged.

"True enough." Hershel downed his drink quickly.

"We were headed towards DC, but the roads were pretty blocked up." Dave continued.

"Carried on heading West instead." Tony joined in.

Glenn picked up on the resurfacing tension, and started sipping his drink slower- glancing back at Rick for just a moment before focusing on Dave and Tony once more.

"What about you?" Dave turned to face Rick. "Where are you three headed?"

"Fort Benning." Rick answered quickly. "Figured the military might have some idea of how to stop this."

"Decent plan." Dave agreed. "Shame it won't work."

Confused, Rick frowned- before taking a deep breath.

"And whys that?" Rick spoke up.

"We met a soldier a way back. Said he was from Fort Benning." Dave took another sip of his drink.

"Said the place was overrun." Tony finished his drink.

"Really?" Rick was surprised.

"Yeah. Guy seemed pretty messed up about it." Tony continued.

"Damn shame." Hershel nodded.

"Said there might be a train running still. To Nebraska or something." Tony shrugged.

"A train?" Glenn joined in the conversation.

"Yeah." Dave chuckled. "But we decided to make a stop. Had to take a break from all the driving, you know?"

"Here?" Glenn cleared his throat, before taking a final sip of his drink.

"Back on the highway." Dave shrugged.

Almost comically, Glenn choked on his drink- spluttering whiskey all over the dusty counter, and narrowly missing Hershel. Confused, the older man took a step back- freezing when he saw the looks on Rick and Glenn's faces. The two of them looked like they'd seen a ghost. Quickly, he pieced together from the shock that, somehow, it had something to do with the little girl that had arrived on his farm. He hadn't heard much before making a beeline for the bar- but there couldn't have been any other explanation for why Glenn had reacted so strongly. Or why Rick hadn't taken his eyes off the two men since they'd sat down.

"You alright?" Dave turned to face Glenn.

"I...uh…" Glenn coughed.

"He don't drink much." Hershel reacted quickly. "Can't handle his whiskey."

"Really." Dave frowned. "Seemed to be handling it just fine until then."

"I'm fine." Glenn cleared his throat.

"If you say so." Dave remained tense.

"You, uh, said you stopped on the highway." Rick redirected the conversation.

"We did." Dave nodded.

As Dave's smile turned eerie, Rick instinctively put a hand over his gun- taking care to hide the practiced motion. His suspicions were only growing- heightened by the rise in tension. But he kept his suspicions to himself- he had no way of knowing for sure...or whether there were more men outside.

"We stopped there. For supplies." Rick cleared his throat. "You do the same?"

Dave shook his head, before focusing on Rick, eyes gleaming mischievously.

"You sure ask a lot of questions." Dave folded his arms.

"Have to. Got to know who to trust." Rick remained calm.

"That's fair." Dave shrugged again. "Guess I can answer one more question. We did stop for supplies."

"Found something else, though." Tony sighed. "Some of the guys we were with...we found them all messed up on the ground."

"Someone had shot them." Dave uncrossed his arms. "One of them had his throat slit."

Glenn's eyes widened, as he looked from Hershel to Rick- remembering what Sophia had told them. She'd said she'd had to kill a man- and that her new friend Jasper had killed the rest. Dave's words only confirmed what Rick had suspected since the start- that Dave and Tony were part of the group that had assaulted Jasper...the same group that had tried to assault Sophia. Which meant that these men had no moral code, and no remorse- meaning that Rick, Hershel, and Glenn would have to get away somehow. If there weren't more men outside, that is.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Hershel took one more drink and gulped it down, trying to remain calm. "Some bad people out there."

"You're telling me. All we wanted was a piece of that redheads' ass." Dave sighed.

Gritting his teeth, Rick took a deep breath- it was taking everything in him not to just shoot the men in front of him.

"Would've preferred the blonde, though." Tony chuckled.

"Always did like them young, didn't you?" Dave laughed, as if they were having a casual conversation. "What about you?"

As Dave turned to face him, Rick saw the look in his eye- it was evil, and sent chills down the former cop's spine. These men were relishing in the memory of what they'd done to Jasper...and what they'd hoped to do to Sophia. It made Rick sick. And, judging by how tightly Hershel and Glenn were holding their glasses, it was equally as disgusting to them.

"I don't really have a preference." Rick gripped his gun tighter. "You saw the...blonde?"

"Saw her slinking away out of the corner of my eye. Others didn't see, but I did. Didn't say anything- bitch would've been noisier than the redhead." Tony answered.

Rick took a deep breath- he had never really wanted anyone dead before- it was the cop in him, always wanting to protect others...keep them out of harm's way. These men, however, were really grating on Rick's nerves. He'd dealt with their type before on a few Saturday nights at the local bar- but this case hit too close to home. Far too close. But Rick couldn't shoot blindly- not without knowing who may be lurking outside the bar.

"Seem a little tense." Dave spoke up again. "Everything alright?"

"Everything's fine." Rick swallowed, trying to calm the rage burning within. "Said something about a redhead?"

"She was pretty messed up by the time we got our turn." Dave continued, unperturbed.

"Your...turn?" Glenn looked a little green.

"Yeah, I mean, there's quite few of us-" Dave hesitated, before smirking. "But it was worth it, waiting. Not many women alive out there now."

"Shame she was out of it." Tony commented.

"Out of it?" Hershel questioned.

"She fought back, even though we shot her twice. Went down kicking and screaming- so one of the others knocked her out." Tony explained. "Easier that way."

"Less exciting though." Dave sighed.

As Dave nodded his agreement, Rick clenched his free hand into a fist- it was getting harder to keep his emotions in check. Any rational man with a set of morals would react the same way.

"Should've gone for a second round." Dave groaned. "Maybe from behind, pretended it was the blonde-"

That was the final straw.

Rick snapped, choosing to forego his gun as he lashed out at Dave- right fist flying to connect with the other man's nose...sending the man sprawling. The sound of bones cracking filled the air...and Dave crumpled on the ground, clutching his bleeding nose. Going pale, Tony swore-and reached for his gun. Reacting just as quickly, Rick took the whiskey bottle from Hershel- and smashed it into Tony's head, relishing in the cries of pain the man released as he collapsed. As glass rained down on the now unconscious men, Hershel and Glenn stared at Rick- both surprised by the sudden burst of brutality...but neither objecting to it. After all, Dave and Tony were far from being decent men. Still, the actions surprised Hershel and Glenn- Rick had seemed to be the more level headed member of the group.

"Couldn't listen to that anymore." Rick flexed his fingers.

Silence passed between the three men, as they surveyed the almost lifeless men lying on the floor of the bar- blood, whiskey and shattered glass scattered around them.

"What now?" Glenn turned to face Hershel.

"Well, I…" Hershel seemed at a loss for words.

Noting the older man's hesitation, Rick also turned round to face Hershel.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Rick grimaced at the pain in his hands.

"I appreciate that, Rick." Hershel nodded. "And I wouldn't normally condone such violence...but I do believe those men deserve that and more."

Almost relieved, Rick smiled slightly.

"What do we do with them?" Glenn seemed tense.

"Well…" Rick started.

He was interrupted by the sound of more trucks coming to a stop outside- and several motorcycles. As the sound of several men's voices reached them, the three of them looked at each other worriedly. They all hoped against hope that the men weren't with Dave and Tony- that they weren't the vicious, cruel men on the highway...but they knew it was just that. Hope. The odds that the men were just another bunch of strangers were...pretty poor. Just as Rick was about to speak, he was interrupted.

"Dave!" a voice shouted from outside.

Rick cursed, as their little bit of hope fizzled out.

"Tony?" the same voice called out.

When the man had no reply, Rick cautiously began moving closer to the door, trying to listen to what was going on outside. Looking down, Rick took great care not to let a single footstep land on the creaking floorboards. He couldn't afford to alert the men to their presence yet- not until he had a better grasp of what they were getting into.

"Dave!" the voice shouted again. "Tony!"

"Rick!" Glenn kept his voice down. "What do we do now?"

"You and Hershel go to the back exit. Make sure they don't get in." Rick quietly moved forward- taking Dave and Tony's guns from them.

As Hershel and Glenn exited the room, moving quietly, they ducked to avoid the windows. Somehow, they made it stealthily across the room. Once satisfied that Glenn and Hershel were safe and out of sight, Rick moved back towards the door- dragging an upturned table up against it. Wincing as the table scraped slightly against the floor, Rick looked around, before cautiously crouching down behind the table. Quietly, Rick checked his gun- before taking a deep breath. He knew what he was about to say was risky- and that he held Glenn and Hershel's lives in his hands- but he knew he still had to try. There was people back on the farm that needed them. Beth was dangerously close to being comatose- and Jasper wasn't doing any better. If anything, she was worse off. And there was no telling how tense things had gotten after he left Shane behind. Shaking his head, Rick knew time was of the essence- and that prompted him to finally speak up, willing his voice not to shake.

"They're in here." Rick called out.

Several voices spoke quietly outside, before the first voice resurfaced.

"They alive?" the voice enquired.

"For now." Rick replied.

"Alright, then. That's good." the voice seemed please. "Can we speak to them?"

Grimacing, Rick glanced at Dave and Tony- who still lay almost comatose on the ground...covered in blood and glass, which glimmered in the dim light of the bar.

"Might be a bit hard." Rick spoke up again, and kept a tight grip on his gun.

"You hurt them?" the voice asked.

"I did. But they didn't give me any choice." Rick replied.

"That so?"

"It is."

The bar descended into silence once more, before Rick heard several voices arguing outside. The voices were angry, As the talking escalated into a veritable shouting match, the sound of guns clicking echoed loudly. Rick cursed- the men were gearing up for a fight. And...judging by the number of voices, trucks, and motorcycles outside...they were desperately outnumbered.

* * *

 ** _With Sophia…_**

* * *

Sophia sat on the edge of the bed in silence, staring down at Jasper. The older woman hadn't moved a muscle since being placed in the bed- she simply lay unconscious. Seeing her companion so deathly still was incredibly unnerving- after all, over the past few days,Sophia had come to know of Jasper's seemingly endless strength. The woman hadn't really stopped whilst Sophia was ill- it took a literal knockout to make her rest. In those few days, Sophia had gone from being complete strangers to one another...to being close friends. To anyone else, it'd seek strange how quickly they'd bonded- but to them? It only seemed natural. Near death experiences would bring anyone closer together, after all.

"Sophia?" her Mom's familiar voice broke her out of her thoughts.

Turning, Sophia saw her Mom standing in the doorway- hands clasped together nervously.

"I think you should get cleaned up. Hershel's shower works." Carol cleared her throat. "We need to get all that blood off of you, okay?"

"I don't want to leave her." Sophia sniffed, wiping a tear away.

"I know, baby. But you need to get cleaned up- Patricia says she thinks you might've torn a few stitches. She needs to get a good look at you." Carol started.

"I'll watch her." Daryl stepped into view. "Go get cleaned up."

"Thank you." Carol smiled greatly, before holding out a hand to Sophia.

Reluctantly, Sophia stepped off the bed- taking her Mom's hand, and allowed herself to be led out the room. Once Carol and Sophia were headed down the hall, Daryl stepped into Jasper's room. He didn't know much about the woman- but she'd found Sophia and brought her back to Carol. To Daryl, that made her okay. Not many people went out of their way to help others. Too many risks involved. Looking around, Daryl spotted an armchair- and dragged it close to the bed. Taking a seat, he studied the woman. She looked like death warmed up- face pale and bruised. The square of bandage over the deep wound on her face was soaked in a ghastly mixture of misty yellow liquid, and bright red blood- major signs of infection. Coupled with the sweat beading on her face...and she wasn't looking good. It was almost like a walker was lying on the bed- not that Daryl would mention that to Sophia. The kid was frazzled enough as it was.

Just as he was about to lean back, Daryl heard rapid footsteps down the hallway- and turned to see Carl run into his line of sight. Daryl's mood darkened- Lori had disappeared earlier- and they'd been searching for her ever since.

"Have you seen my Mom?" Carl asked.

"She still missing-" Daryl started.

Before the hunter could finish his sentence, Carl disappeared again- leaving Daryl to sigh in exasperation. Lori really had disappeared- likely going after Rick- and she couldn't have picked a worse time. Beth was in shock, Sophia's saviour was out of it, and Rick and Glenn had gone after Hershel. Shane's actions at the barn earlier that day had done nothing to ease the tension. It had only proven to make things worse. Daryl had hoped they'd find Lori on the farm, but it seemed like the search had come up empty.

"Annie…" a quiet voice disrupted Daryl's thoughts.

Turning to face Jasper, Daryl saw her eyes still closed- and was confused. After a moment passed by, she unconsciously repeated the name- tears beginning to streak down her face from under her closed eyelids. Remaining silent, Daryl simply listened- as she repeated the name a few times...before falling silent again.

* * *

 ** _With Jasper…_**

* * *

 _Annie skipped joyfully along the water's edge, white pinafore dress rustling in the wind. Her green eyes shone with joy- reflected by her laughter. Spinning round, she giggled as the water soaked her skin. Watching from her seat on the sand, Jasper smiled- forgetting for a moment why they were there. For a few blissful days, she had been able to hide her hurt- but she couldn't hide it any longer. Still, she dreaded talking to Annie. Her little girl's world was about to be torn apart. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Jasper looked up- watching as Annie stopped skipping to examine a crab scuttling along the shore. Smiling sadly, Jasper looked down at the tear stained note in her trembling hands._

 _ **Dear Jasper,**_

 _ **Not sure I have the right to call you dear anymore. Scratch that, I don't. Not after what I did.**_

 _ **You're not picking up my calls. I don't blame you- I broke your heart. I should've talked to you, I know that now. I should have tried to work things out instead of doing what I did. I should have done anything other than having an affair.**_

 _ **I really messed up, I know that. I slept with another woman. When I should have manned up and talked. I'm a coward, I know.**_

 _ **Words cannot express how much I regret sleeping with Kat. If I could go back and do things differently, I would. But I can't. So all I can do is apologise and try to do the right thing for once.**_

 _ **Included with this note are the divorce papers. I was honest with our lawyer, and I've already pre-paid all the fees. All you have to do is sign the papers and we're done. I'm already prepared to pay child support.**_

 _ **I won't argue for custody of Annie. You're her Mother- and I'm in the wrong, so I leave it up to you whether or not I still get to see her.**_

 _ **I've done a lot of wrong in my life. And I don't ever expect you to forgive me.**_

 _ **I'm sorry.**_

 _ **From the Guy who ruined everything,**_

 _ **Jareth.**_

 _Shoulders heaving, Jasper sobbed silently. She'd had a few partners throughout high school- men and women- but she'd never loved anyone more than she loved Jareth. The man was joyous, kind, caring, and the perfect father to Annie- or so she'd thought. Jasper had truly no idea that Jareth was unhappy- so it took her by surprise when she came home from work early to find Annie sleeping on the sofa...and Jareth making love to another woman. In their bed. She'd screamed, shouted, albeit unashamedly- but now she was almost spent. She wasn't sure how many more tears she could shed._

 _"Mom?" Annie's voice snapped Jasper out of her thoughts. "Why are you crying?_

 _As Annie took a seat in the sand beside her, Jasper wiped her tears away- taking a deep breath before turning to face her little girl. She knew she couldn't hide the truth much longer. She'd told Annie the reason that her Father couldn't come on vacation with them was because he couldn't get time off work. A lie that Annie had readily accepted. A lie that Jasper was about to reveal._

 _"Dad is…" Jasper cleared her throat. "Dad's leaving."_

 _"Why?" Annie looked upset._

 _"He…" Jasper thought carefully. "He decided he loves a different person._

 _"He doesn't love you anymore?"_

 _"No, sweetie."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"I wish I knew."_

 _A moment passed in awkward silence, before Jasper spoke up again._

 _"Dad won't be living with us anymore because of that." Jasper spoke awkwardly. "I'm sorry."_

 _"Can I still see him?" Annie's lips trembled._

 _"That's up to you, sweetie. I don't mind if you do, alright?"_

 _"Well...what about you?"_

 _"Me?"_

 _"Wouldn't you get lonely?"_

 _"No, baby."_

 _"How?"_

 _"Because I've got you."_

 _"And I'll always come home!"_

* * *

 ** _With Daryl…_**

* * *

As Jasper continued mumbling in her seat, Daryl paid close attention- noting the repeated mention of someone named Annie. Sitting silently, he relaxed in the chair- only to have Shane burst in. The man looked frantic and wide eyed- panting heavily, as if he'd just run a marathon. The former cop looked around the room, staring into every nook and cranny- before cursing. As the man turned to leave, Daryl spoke up.

"Something happen?" Daryl asked.

"It's Lori." Shane stressed.

"She alright?" Daryl's mood brightened.

Maybe they'd found Lori.

"She's not on the farm. Can't find her anywhere."

"...what?"

* * *

 ** _With Rick, Glenn, and Hershel…_**

* * *

Bullets were flying around, coming and going from every direction- bringing with them a deafening noise. Noise that was practically bringing the dinner bell. As he listened to the shots coming in, ducking down low- Rick thought desperately. As the minutes ticked by, the bullets showing no sign of letting up, Rick cursed. He was pinned down- so he had no way of knowing whether or not Glenn and Hershel were even still alive. The odds stacked up against them grew worse and worse with every new bullet fired. How these men had such a large amount of ammo was beyond them- until a thought occurred to Rick. Tony and Dave had said that Fort Benning was overrun- but these men had proven to have no morals. And so Rick realized that, somehow, these men had overrun the Fort- that'd explain the quantity and variety of weapons getting fired. It'd also explain why they were firing blindly- and not taking too much care where their shots landed. It also meant that the gunfire wouldn't be letting up anytime soon.

"RICK!" Hershel shouted, voice echoing over the bullets.

Letting out a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding, Rick turned around- and caught sight of Hershel peeking his head around the corner.

"YOU ALRIGHT?" Rick called out.

"WE'RE FINE!" Hershel replied. "YOU SEE A WAY OUT OF THIS?"

When Rick shook his head, Hershel cursed. Just as the older man was about to duck out of sight again, Rick had an idea. Noting Rick's hesitation, Hershel waited patiently.

* * *

 ** _With Shane…_**

* * *

As the car sped along the dark roads, Shane cursed- constantly looking to either side of the vehicle. He'd rushed out fast as a bullet- he could hardly believe that Lori had gone after Rick. Sure, the man was the Father of her child- but did she really have to choose now of all times to go awol? Beth was in a state- something that was eating away at Shane, and their new guest wasn't doing much better. Adding to the fact that the men who attacked Jasper and Sophia were likely still around- and maybe even the reason why Rick and hadn't come back- and it was truly a stupid decision for Lori to make. Shane understood that she was concerned for Rick, but she had to have known how her leaving without a word would affect the group. How it would affect Carl.

Shaking his head, Shane tensed up when he saw someone on the path up ahead. Slowly driving the car to a stop, he felt relief flood him when he realized who it was. Lori. That relief soon faded when he saw blood trickling down the right side of her face...and the ruined car at the roads edge.

"Lori!" Shane jumped out of the car.

Immediately, he rushed to her side- cupping her face to get a better look at the source of the blood. The wound was shallow- an inch or two across...and thankfully didn't reach too deep. Taking a deep breath, Shane reluctantly took a step back- noting how shaken up Lori seemed.

"The hell were you thinking?" Shane exploded,unable to reign in his anger. "We were all looking for you-Carl's looking for you!"

"I…" Lori crossed her arms. "I don't know...I don't know what I was thinking."

"Those men could be out here, Lori. You know what they've done!"

"I know! Which is why I left- what if they found Rick?"

Seeing how frantic Lori was, Shane thought carefully- considering his next move before he spoke.

"They didn't find him." Shane lied smoothly. "He made it back. They all did."

"Then why didn't he come with you?" Lori was suspicious.

"Believe me, he wanted to. But he...uh…" Shane thought for another moment. "Bullet grazed his arm. Scared Carl half to death."

"He's hurt?" Lori's eyes widened.

"Hershel's seeing to him. But we need to get back." Shane nodded.

As Lori bolted for the passenger seat, Shane shook away the feeling of guilt building within him. Lori wasn't going to be happy when she realized he'd lied- but he'd done it to get her home…

And to keep her safe.

* * *

 ** _With Rick, Glenn, and Hershel…_**

* * *

As Rick laid eyes on the walls of dusty bottles, an idea came to him. It was far from aj ideal plan- but they didn't have many options. Or much time left- sooner or later the men outside would come storming in. Or the walkers would swarm the town- drawn by the deafening ruckus. Keeping his wits about him, Rick took one last look outside- before taking a deep breath. Praying to whatever was watching, Rick made a mad dash across the room- weaving his path in a zig-zag to avoid the hail of bullets. Undeterred by a sharp pain in his left arm, Rick made it to Hershel relatively unscathed- ducking behind cover as quickly as possible.

"You alright?" Hershel turned to face Rick.

"Just a graze. Nothing much." Rick answered. "Got an idea."

"I'll take whatever you can come up with." Glenn jogged up to them, face pale from fear.

"We burn the bar down." Rick started.

"Rick-" Hershel seemed hesitant.

"The fire will draw their attention- we use the back entrance." Rick interrupted, explaining.

"And the smoke covers our escape." Hershel realized. "That's not a bad idea, Rick."

"How do we start the fire? I don't think I've got a lighter." Glenn questioned.

"We break the bottles- by shooting at them. Then we get far away, but where we can still see them." Rick explained. "We shoot- and the gunfire lights the fire."

"That's as good a plan as we're going to get." Hershel nodded. "I think we can manage that."

"We can do this." Glenn thought for a moment. "What about the two guys you knocked out?"

Rick's expression darkened.

"We leave them here to burn." he answered simply.

"I don't know…" Glenn looked uncomfortable.

"It does seem brutal...but if we can stop a few of those men from hurting anyone else…" Rick's voice tailed off.

A moment of silence passed, before the three of them came to a startling realization- the men weren't firing anymore. Looking wildly at one another, they focused carefully- listening to what was going on outside.

"Why aren't they firing back?" a voice sounded from outside..

"I don't give a shit. I say we go in and finish them off." another voice practically spat.

Rick took a deep breath.

"We fire on 3." he spoke quietly. "One…"

"Two…" Hershel reloaded his gun.

"Three." Glenn swallowed.

As the three of them unleashed hell on the bottled walls, they started moving towards the back door. Taking advantage of the noises of confusion from outside, they soon reached the back entrance.

Just as Glenn was reaching to open the door…

It flung open.

* * *

 ** _With Sophia…_**

* * *

 _She cries out as the wiry man strikes her hard across the face- the skin of his palm leaving a stinging mark on her cheek. Sobbing, she backs away from him- eyes constantly swerving round to look at her unconscious companion. She thought she couldn't be more scared than she was on the highway...but she had obviously been wrong. As the man crept towards her, eerie grin widening, she felt more terrified than ever. The way the man looked at her was wrong- that much she knew. It didn't take long for her to figure out what exactly the man wanted- and why Jasper had been so insistent on her leaving._

Sophia pulled herself into a tighter ball- curling up in the corner of the shower. As her whole body trembled, she allowed the tears to flow freely down her face. Doing her best to stay quiet- not wanting to worry her Mom- Sophia took a deep, shuddering breath. She'd done her best to be brave, but the events of the past few days were finally hitting her in full force. She'd been separated from her Mom, had almost died-nearly been assaulted…seen her friend get shot...and she'd…

She'd killed a man.

 _"Come on, little girlie." the wiry man licks his lips._

 _She swipes at him wildly with her pocket knife, hands trembling as she tries to get some distance between her and the lecherous creep._

 _"Come on, man!" the bulky man curses, now standing with his foot on Jasper's chest to stop her from moving. "It's just one little kid!"_

As the men's voices echoed in her head, Sophia shivered- despite the warm water running over her body.

 _Cursing, the wiry man shakes his head- before grinning as Sophia's back hits one of the cars. She's trapped._

Covering her mouth, Sophia cried harder- struggling to hold her emotions in.

 _As the wiry man kneels down in front of her, she eyes his exposed throat- and feels the blood drain from her when she realises the only way out of this is to…_

Sophia's shoulders began to shake with the force of her sobs.

 _Gritting her teeth, she slashes out with the blade- like she'd seen Jasper do on the walkers. As the knife cuts jaggedly through flesh, she cries harder- watching as the man's hands reach up to clutch the wound._

 _With blood streaming down the man's body, she takes her chance…_

 _And reaches for his gun._

As her cries descended into full-blown sobs, Sophia became oblivious to the sound of the door opening- only looking up when a soft white towel was tucked round her. Vision blurred from her tears, Sophia looked up- and found her Mom's tear stained face looking down on her. Taking shuddering breaths, Sophia finally cracked- and rushed into her Mom's arms.

"Oh, Sophia." Her Mom embraced her. "It's okay now, baby. I'm here."

Sophia cried harder, exhaustion beginning to set in.

"I'm here." Carol repeated. "Mommy's here."

* * *

 ** _With Rick, Glenn, and Hershel…_**

* * *

As the door swung open, the three men turned round rapidly- only to come face to face with one of the men. He was tall, and menacing, with a body that would make any bodybuilder jealous. His eyes were wide, and bloodshot- but almost unblinking. The man stood tall, his shotgun held unwavering in Rick's direction- eyes constantly swerving round to look at Glenn and Hershel in turn. He clearly knew how to handle a weapon- and judging by his expression, he wasn't afraid to use it. As the tension grew almost unbearable, the four men looked at each other in deathly silence- no one knowing what to say. In the quiet, none of them took their hands off their weapons- not wanting to let their guard down. Taking advantage of the stranger's focus, Rick waited until his eyes swivelled round to Glenn again- before he levelled his handgun at the stranger's forehead. Just as the man's eyes fell on him again, Rick fired- grimacing as the man crumpled unceremoniously onto the floor. Once the man fell, the shotgun clattered to the floor- Rick reacting quickly to grab the weapon. As the former cop straightened up, Hershel and Glenn remained silent- slightly shocked at how Rick had just gunned the man down. Even Rick himself seemed surprised at his own actions- he couldn't take his eyes off the gaping wound in the stranger's forehead.

"The hell was that?" a voice startled Rick back into reality.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped back inside- before turning until he could see the rows of bottles on the walls. The bottles were little more than piles of shrapnel- glass scattered across the floor. Shards glimmered in the amber liquid which now drenched the floor- a strangely sombre sight.

"Ready?" Rick glanced at Hershel and Glenn.

When the two men nodded, aiming their guns, Rick took a step backward. Aiming at the floor, he did his best to calm his raging nerves- before taking the shot. As the bullet flew through the air, the three of them made a mad dash for the back door- jumping out of the building just as it went up in flames. Almost immediately, the building was engulfed in red-hot fire. The sheer force of the flames almost knocked them off their feet- but they, somehow, managed to stay upright. As smoke began to leak from between the flames, they took advantage of the building fire, the three of them ducked behind the closest cover- a now bullet riddled dumpster.

"I can't believe that worked!" Glenn kept his voice down.

"Not bad." Hershel agreed. "Think we did the right thing there?"

"Leaving those men behind?" Rick kept looking around- ever vigilant.

Noticing the guilty looks on his friend's faces, Rick cleared his throat- before speaking up.

"They tried to hurt Sophia. We did the right thing." Rick spoke bluntly.

"Now we just have to get to the truck. I think we should leave yours behind, Hershel." Rick started.

"Agreed. Wouldn't be wise to split up." Hershel nodded.

Peeking round the edge of the dumpster, Rick squinted- trying to see through the thickening smoke. When he saw none of the men in their direct path, he heaved a sigh of relief. Turning back, ducking behind cover again, Rick spoke up. Just as he was about to tell Glenn and Hershel to follow him, he was interrupted by the sound of screaming. As each of them turned to face the source of the noise, peeking round the edge of the dumpster- they found themselves freezing up. From where they were, they could just about make two figures escaping from the bar. The familiar figures were engulfed in flames- screeching as the heat seared and burned their skin. The sound was haunting- and sent chills down their spines. Swallowing, Rick looked down for a moment- before gathering his remaining strength and speaking up again.

"We have to go." he spoke simply.

Breathing through his nose, so as not to inhale too much smoke, Rick tucked his handgun into uis belt- choosing to wield the shotgun as he stood up. Looking around, he rummaged in his pockets- before chucking the truck keys to Glenn. Immediately, the younger man caught them- before rising to his feet. Following them, Hershel also stood. After another look around, the three men nodded at each other- before making a mad dash for the truck.

Ignoring the heat of the fire licking at their heels, they ran- grimacing as the scent of burnt flesh clawed at their nostrils.

So dense was the smoke, that they made it to the car without incident- Rick hopping into the back to allow Glenn and Hershel to sit inside. Just as glenn was turning the keys in the ignition, Rick caught sight of someone running up to the car. Wielding the shotgun expertly, he watched as a young man stumbled into the back of the truck- before looking up at Rick with wide eyes.

"Back up." Rick raised his voice.

"I don't want to hurt anyone!" the young man immediately raised his hands in surrender, gun clattering to the ground.

"You're with them." Rick practically hissed at the younger man.

"I know, I know." the young man trembled.

"So back up." Rick ordered.

"Please!" the younger man pleaded. "I can't stay with them."

"Rick?" Glenn sounded from the driver's seat.

"I got it. Just get this truck started." Rick spoke calmly.

For a moment, Rick and the young man simply stared at each other- before Rick began to talk again.

"You're with them." Rick reiterated.

"I didn't hurt anyone!" the younger man protested. "I swear!"

"But they did." Rick's expression darkened.

"I know! And I don't like what they've done- but I had no choice!"

"No choice?"

"I'm not a bad person. I just didn't have another option. Going with these guys seemed safe."

"So you did nothing?"

"Exactly!"

"You did nothing. While they assaulted a woman."

The young man paled dramatically, all colour draining from his face, constantly looking all around- trying to see through the dense smoke.

"They've got guns! What would you have done?" the young man protested.

"Something." Rick moved forward. "Anything."

"Rick, what are we doing with this young man?" Hershel called, just as the truck's engine roared to life.

"I don't know!" Rick cursed.

"What if we took him with us?" Hershel suggested.

"Why would we do that?" Rick kept his eye on the stranger.

"He could tell us how many men there are- maybe he could help us prepare." Hershel continued.

"Prepare for what?" Rick was confused.

"Those men will come after us." Hershel reasoned. "They don't seem like the type to let things go."

As Rick pondered on Hershel's words, Glenn could he heard cursing. Hearing the cursing, Rick turned round- and saw figures moving closer to them through the smoke. Heart pounding, Rick turned to face the young man.

"Don't make me regret this." Rick gestured for the young man to jump in.

"Thank you!" the young man climbed into the back of the truck. "You won't regret this."

"We'll see."

* * *

 ** _With Sophia…_**

* * *

After her Mom had calmed her down- something that had taken quite some time given the circumstances- Sophia had her leg stitches checked by Patricia. Under the watchful eye of her Mom, of course. Both women had seemed to go pale when they saw the extent of the wound- but neither of them had said much. They only spoke to comment on the neatness of the stitches- and how well the wound seemed to be healing. The entire process of checking hadn't taken long- and soon after, Sophia was being dressed in some fresh clothes. The shirt and dungarees were dated- as were the shoes. But they had belonged to Maggie- and Sophia wasn't ungrateful. Quite the opposite, in fact- the young girl was happy to be clean and warm...and secure.

As soon as she could get away, however, Sophia returned to Jasper's room, surprised to see Daryl still sitting in his armchair. The archer looked up when Sophia entered the room- offering an awkward smile as she perched on the end of Jasper's bed again. The two sat in companionable silence for some time, before Daryl eventually spoke up.

"Who's Annie?" he asked.

Startled, Sophia turned to face Daryl. Noticing the young girl's confusion, Daryl explained himself.

"Said it in her sleep." Daryl shrugged. "Couple times."

"She said Annie was her daughter." Sophia answered.

"Was?"

"She died. Jasper said she got bitten...at the start."

Not knowing what to say, Daryl allowed the conversation to dwindle into silence once more- choosing to simply watch as Sophia kept her eye on Jasper. Several minutes passed, before the silence was interrupted by the sound of a truck driving up outside. Immediately, Daryl jumped up- grimacing tightly as the motion tugged at his wound. Smiling awkwardly again to Sophia, Daryl exited the room- before making his way down the hall, closely followed by Carol, Maggie, and Patricia.

As he descended the stairs, Daryl caught sight of Rick coming through the front door- closely followed by Hershel, Glenn...and a complete stranger. Each of the men were almost grey with smoke that stained their clothes- with Rick bearing a large bloodstain on his left arm. Their faces were pale, and tired- but ultimately relieved. Smiling slightly, Daryl watched as Carl threw himself at his father- the two of them embracing as Rick knelt down.

"Where's Lori?" Rick ignored everyone staring at the stranger.

The room fell silent- as they all realized something that sent chills down their spines.

Lori and Shane weren't back yet.

* * *

 ** _With Shane…_**

* * *

As the engine stalled, Shane cursed- swearing up a storm as the car grinded to a halt. The engine couldn't have broken down at a worse time. He and Lori were alone- and if Sophia's story had been anything to go by- they probably wouldn't be alone for long. With a million thoughts running through his mind, Shane turned to face Lori- who was staring at the dark road before them...likely with the same thoughts in her head. Cautiously looking all around, Shane took a deep breath- before reaching for his gun.

"Where are you going?" Lori spoke up.

"Have to get this thing started." Shane opened his car door.

"It's not safe-" Lori started.

"It's more dangerous to stay here." Shane interrupted, stepping out the car.

Just as he was reaching to shut the door, he heard footsteps behind him. Reacting quickly, he turned round…

Only to have something heavy hit him round the side of the head…

Knocking him out cold.


	10. Triggerfinger (Part 1)

**Author's Note:**

Hey there! Thanks for clicking on my fanfiction, **Sophia's Lost Days**. This is an idea that I've had floating around in my head for some time- and since I've been rewatching the series, I figured it was time to give it a shot.

This was going to be around 13 chapters, each one titled after the respective Season 2 episodes so you had an idea of where the story is in the timeline. The chapters would link to the episode title in one way or another. However as I am diverting from canon content there might be more than 13 chapters now!

 _If this story does well, I will do a sequel following the events of the season 2 and the following seasons._

Please enjoy this ninth chapter of **Sophia's Lost Days.** I know it will show up as chapter 10, but chapter 8 was in two parts so...

As always, reviews are appreciated- feedback is essential. Helps me know what to change and/or improve upon.

 _If I haven't replied to your review, please let me know! I reply to every review I receive! I am very grateful for the support so far!_

 **As always, let me know if you spot any spelling or grammatical errors.**

Although I am using the TV versions of the characters, I will be drawing more on the comics for inspiration. As in, the Governor will be as brutal as he is in the comics, and Negan will swear like he does in the comics. Just a heads up.

 **Here is a trigger warning for mentions of sexual assault and other mature themes. There will be graphic descriptions of gore and violence as well.**

From here on out, updates will probably be once a week, maybe twice if I'm feeling particularly inspired.

 _Here's a new feature..._

 **Songs I listened to while writing this chapter (in case it helps anyone with inspiration):**

This is Me (Movie Soundtrack) - _Benj Pasek and Justin Paul._

Dragon Age Inquisition (Game Soundtrack) - _Trevor Morris._

Centuries - _Fallout Boy._

Dragon Age Origins (Game Soundtrack) - _Inon Zur._

The Witcher 3 (Game Soundtrack) - _Various artists._

The Prince of Egypt (Movie Soundtrack) - _Various artists._

Johnny Cash (Greatest Hits) - _Johnny Cash._

Queen (Greatest Hits) - _Queen._

I decided to divert from the canon storyline somewhat- to separate my story from the thousands of other fanfictions.

 _I am aware that Shane discovers Lori's pregnancy in episode 7 of season 2, but as I mentioned, I am going off canon events for now._

When I mentioned two people on fire coming out of the bar, I did intend for that to be Dave and Tony. But, since I didn't make it explicitly clear, and you all believe they are still alive- I am going to keep them as being alive. **For now**.

 **One last thing:**

I do want to include romance eventually, but it will be a slow burn- I do not intend for that to be the main focus of the story, or for it to be rushed. It will be realistic. _**Your thoughts?**_

 _Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out! I am working on my original novel which I want to publish someday, so that's where I've disappeared to! As an apology, this is an extra long chapter! I believe it is the longest chapter yet! I did research some medical stuff for this chapter, but found not much on how to drain infections without proper equipment, so I had to improvise a little._

* * *

 **Story Stats!**

 **Reviews:** 32

 _Thanks to all who have reviewed so far!_

 **Favourites:** 18

 _Thanks for the favourites!_

 **Followers:** 26

 _Thank you for following this story!_

 **Views:** 1,830

 _Thank you to everyone who has read this story!_

 **Word count:** _9,586!_

* * *

 **Chapter 9 -**

 _Triggerfinger (Part 1) -_

* * *

 _ **With Jasper…**_

* * *

 _She finally managed to tear herself away from Annie's body- leaning against the wall as blood seeps through her shirt. Listening as the world ended around her, she looked up the ceiling-body growing numb. A few moments pass by in eerie silence- before she tears her gaze away. Tears streaming down her face, Jasper stares at her daughter's body- and the gore spread across the floor. Mere hours ago, she'd been able to get Annie to laugh for the first time since the start of the outbreak. They'd had a few hours of blissful peaced. Jasper wished that it was all just a nightmare- that she'd wake up and everything would be alright...but no matter how many times she pinched herself...or blinked...nothing changed. Shaking all over, she forced herself to look down at the glass piercing her front. The jagged shard was coated with blood- a grisly wound._

 _Yet, somehow, she felt no pain. After all,what was that wound…_

 _Compared to what Annie had felt?_

* * *

Screaming Annie's name, Jasper bolted upright- sweat clinging to her body. As she looked around wildly- she blinked rapidly to clear her blurred vision. Slightly confused, she continued looking around- until a sharp burst of pain forced her to lie back down. Staring at the ceiling, she grimaced as the pain intensified, burning like a white hot fire in her veins. The pain was unlike anything she'd ever felt- and she wasn't sure how long she could take it. Every slight movement burned- and her sudden awakening hadn't helped. If anything, it had made the pain worse. Her body was beaten, bruised, and bloody. Yet, somehow, despite it all she was still alive. Her body hadn't given up yet. So engrossed was Jasper in her pain-induced haze...that she didn't even hear the footsteps sneaking up the stairs...or a door creaking open. She remained unaware of anyone's presence...until she saw the face of a familiar young man leaning over her.

As her vision cleared, Jasper felt her blood run cold. The young man was Randall- the one who had stood by and done nothing. The one who had given her a pseudo-guilty look before jumping in with the other men and leaving her defenceless on the highway. Remaining silent, she watched as the young man studied her- gathering any strength she could muster beyond her pain. She observed quietly as the young man disappeared from her line of sight- and listened intently. As he seemed to drag something around- and lean the heavy object against something, she felt a chill run down her spine. Something told her that the young man wasn't exactly pulling up a chair for a lighthearted chat. Looking around wildly, she spotted a glass next to her- on a worn bedside table. It was full of water, but that didn't matter. It was better than nothing.

Randall returned to lean over her, expression similar to the one she'd seen on him before- guilt.

"I'm sorry." the young man whispered. "But they said they'd let me go if I…"

As his voice tailed off, Randall withdrew a small blade from his sleeve- hidden and obscured by thick material. The young man leaned in close, until his blade was at her throat- and she could feel his breath on her skin. Letting him focus on her, Jasper pushed past her pain- covertly reaching for the glass. Every muscle in her body screamed as she stretched out her arm- but she forced herself to keep going.

"I'm sorry." Randall repeated.

"I'm not." Jasper seized the glass.

In one swift motion, she picked the crystalline glass up with her shaking hands- and smashed it into the side of the young man's head. Ignoring the shards digging into her hands, Jasper watched in morbid fascination as Randall cried out in shock. Screaming like an injured animal, he dropped the blade- stumbling backwards. As blood seeped down his face, his hands reached up to staunch the flow of red liquid, covering his eyes. Taking advantage of the young man's pain, Jasper pushed past her own agony- pulling on a building sense of adrenaline. Pulling herself upwards, she ignored the ache as stitches split- and shakily got to her feet. Before she could right herself, the young man was coming at her.

The two of them tumbled backwards onto the bed- fighting each other strongly. Or perhaps, scrapping- Randall looked equal parts guilty and terrified...and Jasper was slowly losing her grip on reality. With every punch they threw at each other, she could feel her knuckles splitting and stitches tearing- but she didn't let up. Even though her very nerves sung with pain. Instead, she reached for one last hit- striking Randall dead center just as the door burst open. As splinters flew everywhere, Randall backed away- only to be pulled back by Jasper. Using the young man, she pulled herself up- before putting an arm round his front...and picking up his knife to hold to his throat. Spitting out blood, she watched as figures she barely recognized burst into the room.

Eyes narrowing, she focused on the crossbow now aimed at her- aimed expertly by a man with short, tousled hair. Beside him stood another man- wielding a heavy handgun. Behind the two men was a cluster of people- ones she didn't recognize.

"You alright?" the archer spoke up first.

Jasper recognized him and the man with the gun- remembering that they had been the ones to find her. Before she could reply, Randall began writhing in her grip. Despite her exhaustion, Jasper maintained her hold on the younger man- her body trembling as she stood.

"Get her off me!" Randall protested.

"Shut up." Jasper gripped him tighter.

"Easy." the man with the gun spoke. "What happened?"

"Tried to kill me." Jasper answered simply.

"She's crazy!" Randall protested, coughing as blood leaked into his mouth.

Just as Jasper was drawing the knife back, ready to slit the young man's throat, someone pushed through the two men facing Jasper.

Sophia.

Catching sight of the young girl, Jasper relaxed instantly- but didn't let go of her hostage.

"Don't kill him." the man with the gun kept his weapon aimed at Randall.

"Do you have any idea-" Jasper started.

"Sophia told us everything." the man with the gun interrupted. "Some of this young man's friends….filled in the blanks."

Face flushing red, at the implication that all the people before her knew what she had suffered, Jasper grimaced. Every moment she stood was agony- and she could feel blood seeping through the torn stitches- but she didn't back down. She couldn't. Randall had been with the group that had hurt Sophia and assaulted Jasper herself.

"So you know why he deserves to die." Jasper spoke up- aware of the darkness creeping at the edges of her vision...and avoiding Sophia's gaze.

"We need him." the man with the gun explained.

Before she could speak up again, wondering why they'd need the young man- Jasper saw her vision blurring once more...and found herself swaying on her feet. As a growing feeling of nausea built in her stomach, Jasper stumbled- and let out a string of impressive curses. As the adrenaline finally ebbed away, the pain returned in full force- hitting her with a wave of agony.

Losing her grip on Randall and the knife, she watched as the young man ran away from her…

Before darkness clouded her vision once more…

And she crumpled to the ground…

Unconscious.

* * *

 _ **With Sophia…**_

* * *

As Jasper collapsed, Sophia rushed forward- ignoring her fear of Randall as she knelt at her friend's side. She'd been terrified when they brought him back- it had brought forth her terrifying memories that had almost broken her mere hours earlier. But she couldn't afford to dwell on that. Her friend needed her- though the older woman may not admit she needed assiy. Clearing her throat, Sophia fought back her nerves, and turned to face Rick and Daryl- who now held Randall firmly by the shoulders. As the young man avoided her gaze, Sophia spoke up- voice wavering slightly with worry and concern. She pushed all thoughts of her own terrors to the back of her mind. Jasper had been there for her. Now she had to be there for Jasper.

"We need to help her." Sophia spoke simply.

"Of course." Hershel stepped into view.

As Rick and Daryl led a bloody Randall away, Hershel approached Sophia- closely followed by Maggie, Patricia and Carol. The others filtered away- following after the former cop and resident hunter. Once the room was far less crowded than before, Hershel smiled warmly at Sophia.

"Let's get her back on the bed." his voice remained calm.

When Sophia's smile brightened, Carol felt her heart ease slightly. It had been heartbreaking to have Sophia crying her eyes out in her arms...but here...she saw those tears were nowhere to be seen.

They had been replaced by a strong concern for her friend.

Something that Carol had never quite seen before.

* * *

 _ **With Jasper…**_

* * *

 _She stumbled along the forest path- exhausted,beaten, and defeated. It had been a week or so since her last meal- and her body was starting to suffer. She was lethargic- aching all over...and it was getting harder to stay awake and fight the urge to collapse. Jasper forced herself to keep moving- until a thought entered her head. Why was she fighting so hard to stay alive? Everyone she had ever loved was dead- and every group she came across seemed to unravel. There was barely enough time for a moment's rest in this harsh new world- and it seemed strange to Jasper that she still fought so strongly. Tears began to drip down her face as her mind wandered- ghosting over the memories of what she had seen._

 _Just as Jasper's mind began to ponder on dangerous thoughts, she heard a loud scream from nearby. A high pitched scream that could only belong to a child._

 _Cursing, Jasper took out her hunting knife- pushing back all her negative thoughts…_

 _As she mustered all her remaining energy…_

 _And ran for the source of the bone chilling sound._

* * *

As she slowly came to, Jasper groaned as the room swirled and tilted around her. Whilst she blinked rapidly to clear her vision, she fought back against a growing sense of nausea. Once the world stabilized, the numbness of deep sleep faded- and she choked back a gasp as the pain returned. It was an intense agony, worse than before- and in her haze of hurt, she could feel fever burning in her body. Weakly turning around, Jasper's heart skipped a beat, when she caught sight of a kindly old man leaning over her.

"You're awake." the man sounded relieved.

Frowning, Jasper tried backing up against the bed's headboard- only to release a string of curses as the movement tore at her wounds. The pain brought dark spots into her vision- and had clearly stunned her...for the man was soon cupping her face with both hands. Jasper didn't know who the man was- she was sure he was with Sophia- but given her encounter with Randall, her every instinct was to fight him. Yet she didn't have the strength to argue. Resigning herself to the fact that she couldn't move, Jasper allowed the man to inspect her face- becoming more aware of the pain with every second that passed.

"I know you're probably feeling more than a little wary." the man spoke kindly, taking his hands away from her face. "But I can assure you...you're safe here."

"How-" Jasper swallowed, grimacing as the word grated on her dry throat.

"I know you've got a lot of questions." the man tactfully interrupted. "And I'm happy to answer them. But we need to get a look at you first. Will you let us do that?"

Jasper watched as two more faces appeared above her- a young woman...and a more mature lady. Both of them seemed increasingly concerned- but their warm smiles were undoubtedly genuine. There was no malice hidden behind the smiles- but that did little to ease Jasper's nerves. After all, the last time she woke up, she'd had to fight for her life. Something she was sure she'd never get used to. Nodding slightly, Jasper allowed the two women to gently pull her upwards. Even though their touch was careful, the movement still brought with it fresh waves of pain- enough to entice tears to flow silently down her face. Once the old man had arranged the pillows behind her, the two women leant her back- moving her into a sitting position against the carefully placed pillows. Satisfied, they stepped back- waiting at the foot of the bed. Clearing her throat, Jasper turned to face the old man again.

"I'm Hershel Greene." the old man smiled. "This is my daughter Maggie, and our friend Patricia."

Unable to find the energy to reply, Jasper merely smiled in response. The women's expressions seemed to brighten at her response.

"We're with the little girl, Sophia." Hershel continued. "You have nothing to worry about. That young man has been dealt with."

"You…" Jasper grimaced, sweat beading all over her skin.

"He's not dead. Though you did a pretty good job of bringing him close to that." Hershel shook his head. "We'll come to that later. For now, I'd like to take a look at your wounds- if you'll let me."

After a moment, Jasper studied Hershel- and found her nerves somewhat eased. She was a pretty good judge of character- her encounter with the men on the motorcycles had proved that- and so she could discern that he had no bad intentions. Confident in her judgement, Jasper nodded her approval.

Satisfied, Hershel gently pulled back the duvet that had been covering her from the waist down. As he did so, Jasper took a moment to study herself- and became acutely aware that she had been dressed. In her paranoia earlier, she'd not noticed- but someone had taken great care in dressing her. She wore a grey set of cotton pyjamas- noticeably washed. Jasper had almost begun to wave the prospect of clean clothes goodbye. After a moment passed, it also dawned on her that she'd clearly not dressed herself. She'd certainly not been in any state to even attempt it.

"Maggie and Patricia cleaned you up." Hershel noticed the red flush on Jasper's face. "I thought it best that they took care of that."

When Jasper didn't reply, Hershel cautiously began pulling up the legs of her pyjamas- stopping just above her knees. She detested being undressed even in the slightest, after that had been done to her- but she could see that it was necessary for the older man to be able to tend to her wounds. Grimacing, Jasper could see that the stitches had been torn- and the edges of the wounds were an angry red, leaking a murky yellow liquid. Beyond that, her legs were covered in a myriad of bruises. Some were yellow and pale- new and just beginning to bruise. Others were a dark, angry purple- almost black in the centre- and judging by the aches...seemed to stretch all the way up her legs. Swallowing as she took in the extent of the bruising, Jasper watched as Hershel then reached for the bottom of her shirt. The older man hesitated, waiting for her to protest. When she didn't say a word, merely flushing in response, he continued- stopping just below her ribs. The gunshot wound had also been torn open- sluggishly bleeding blood and yellow pus.

"It's worse than I thought." Hershel shook his head. "I was hoping you'd be out of it longer. We were just about to start tending to you'."

Taking a deep breath, Hershel secured the rolled up shirt with a pin- pulling the silver object out of a pocket in his creased shirt. Once the shirt was clear of the wound, he moved to the gunshot wound in the right side of her collarbone. Hershel had to peel the shirt away from the wound- the cloth moving like sandpaper against the torn stitches. Tears pooling in her eyes, Jasper clenched her hands into fists- willing herself not to make a sound to indicate her suffering. Moving the material out of the way, Hershel's expression darkened- as he took in the state of the wound. Shaking his head again, he gently cupped Jasper's face in his hands- carefully tilting her head towards him to get a better look at the jagged wound. The mark from the glass shards was an even angrier red than the other injuries- Jasper could tell by the pulsating ache in her face.

"Sophia tells us you're a surgeon." Hershel let go of her face, leaning back in the armchair he'd pulled up against the bed. "So you know what I have to do. We did stitch you up to stop the bleeding...but I'm afraid we may have made things worse for you."

Heart sinking, Jasper nodded. Hershel would have to drain the infection- like she'd done only days before on Sophia's leg. It was an extremely unpleasant process- both for the injured party, and the one performing the procedure.

"Shouldn't we get her a glass of water first?" the younger of the two women, who Jasper deduced was Maggie, spoke up.

"Good idea. Maggie, if you'll fetch the water." Hershel agreed. "Patricia, we're going to need some towels, my first aid kit, and something for her to bite down on."

Both women quickly exited the room- moving quickly away. They'd clearly done this before.

"You've dealt with this before. Sophia said you were the one who saved her leg." Hershel spoke up again. "So you know it's going to hurt quite a bit."

"I know." Jasper swallowed.

"Normally we'd do it the easy way-" Hershel started.

"Soaking the wound…" Jasper cleared her throat.

"We both know you can't wait for us to do it the easy way." Hershel smiled sympathetically.

Sighing heavily, Jasper fought the dread building within her- and watched as Hershel turned to look out the door.

"Daryl! I could use your help!" Hershel called out.

After a series of footsteps sounded up the stairs, a familiar figure appeared in the doorway- the archer. Glancing from Jasper to Hershel, he cleared his throat.

"You need me for something?" Daryl leaned against the doorframe.

"Might need you to hold her down." Hershel glanced back at Jasper. "We've exhausted our small supply of painkillers, so I'm afraid this won't be very pleasant."

"Why me?" Daryl seemed confused.

"Rick's arm isn't going to be up to it. Nor is TDogs- and Glenn is helping my Maggie with Beth." Hershel smiled slightly.

Seeing the reasoning in the older man's logic, Daryl nodded, and stepped inside the room. Remaining silent, he quietly stood opposite Hershel- at Jasper's right side. A few moments passed in awkward silence, no one sure of what to say- before Maggie and Patricia appeared again, the latter carrying an armful of supplies. The younger woman produced a plastic cup of water- and held it out. Smiling gratefully, Hershel took the cup- and passed it to Jasper. Taking it into her sweating, trembling hands, Jasper sipped the cool water gratefully- ignoring the pain as the liquid soothed her sore throat. Once she'd downed the whole cup, she passed it back to Hershel.

As the cup was gently laid on the bedside table, Patricia stepped forward, handing out an armful of supplies to Hershel. Studying the supplies, as Hershel organized them, Jasper was surprised at the quality of the first aid kit. They were well stocked. That didn't make her heart beat any slower. Placing a pile of towels on the bed at Jasper's feet, the older man set the large bowl next to the empty cup. Once satisfied that everything was within arm's reach, Hershel took a deep breath- and handed a sturdy wooden spoon to Jasper. Confused, Jasper looked up at Hershel- black spots dancing in her vision once more.

"We don't want you biting your tongue. I'm sure you know that." Hershel explained.

Nodding, Jasper placed the handle of the spoon between her teeth. Bracing herself, she turned to face the older man. This procedure was dire enough with a strong anaesthetic...but without it...Jasper knew she wouldn't be able to stop herself from making a sound.

"Now, I'm going to need the three of you to hold her down." Hershel spoke calmly. "Patricia, Maggie, if you hold her legs."

Heart pounding ever faster, Jasper watched as the two women took hold of each of her legs- cautiously avoiding the wounds in her knees.

"Daryl, if you take hold of her shoulders." Hershel continued. "Careful now."

Once everyone was in place, Hershel excused himself for a moment- the sound of water running piercing the empty silence. Mere seconds ticked by before he returned- sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Taking a seat at Jasper's side again, the older man produced a thin, shining scalpel from the first aid kit.

"I'm not a surgeon, but I'll do my best." Hershel tried to alleviate the tension. "I'm going to remove the stitches first. Then we'll see about draining the infection."

Flexing his fingers, Hershel moved the scalpel to Jasper's knees- almost expertly severing the remaining stitches in each wound. Grimacing, Jasper watched as he laid the scalpel down, and replaced it with a pair of tweezers. Glancing back up at her for a moment, Hershel quickly returned his gaze to the wounds. As he grasped the end of the suturing thread in Jasper's left knee, hands unshaking, Hershel gave her an apologetic look- before pulling on the thread.

As the thread moved like rough sandpaper against the deep grooves in her skin, Jasper fought back tears. Each new tug of the thread brought forth more dark blood...and more dirty yellow liquid. Trembling all over, Jasper clamped down on the wooden handle in her mouth.

Moving quickly, Hershel soon had the threads removed from her knees- turning himself towards the gunshot wound in Jasper's torso next. Studying the wound, Jasper realized the torn stitches had become stuck to her skin with the sticky pus from the infection- meaning that Hershel would have to dig the scalpel in to get the sutures out. She heard the older man curse- likely having come to the same conclusion. Feeling the colour drain from her face, Jasper was unable to stop her body jerking as the scalpel dug sharply into her skin. As it grinded against the hardened sutures, slicing through congealed blood and torn skin, she willed herself not to move. Even as Hershel pulled the stitches from the injury, she forced herself to remain still. Jasper knew that moving would only serve to make her wounds worse- and make it harder for Hershel to treat her. Which would only prolong the agonizing treatment.

With black tendrils creeping in at the edges of her blurred vision, Jasper found herself shaking harder- unable to do anything other than watch, as Hershel cautiously avoided Daryl's arms to pull the stitches from the gunshot wound in the right side of her collarbone. The wound was through and through- meaning that the stitches had gone deep. Hershel had to dig in deep through several layers of skin, so every new stitch removed was pure agony- but Jasper still fought against the burning pain.

Hershel stopping for a moment didn't even bring much in the way of relief. It barely even brought a moment's respite..

"I know this isn't pleasant, but we need to lean you forward so I can get to the exit wounds." Hershel smiled tiredly.

Nodding, Jasper allowed herself to be leaned forward- Daryl awkwardly taking hold of her in a mock embrace so Hershel could get to the jarring exit wounds. Face flushing, Jasper closed her eyes- feeling as if the skin was being torn from her with every piece of suturing thread removed. It was like her very nerves had been set alight- and she wasn't sure how much more pain she could take.

Thankfully, she was soon being leant back again- everyone moving into their previous positions with ease.

"This is the hard part." Hershel cleaned the scalpel with the smallest towel. "Getting rid of the infection."

Swallowing in an effort to calm her raging nerves, Jasper nodded her approval. She watched in morbid fascination as Hershel produced a lighter from the set of supplies- using it to hold under the scalpel. As the blade shifted from grey to a white-hot shade of burning orange, Hershel finally closed the lighter- carefully placing it on the bedside table. Not wasting any time, he swiftly dug into the gash on Jasper's left knee.

The smell of burning flesh hit Jasper's nostrils before the pain hit- an agony so intense that she felt her back arching in response. Eyes wide, Jasper watched as pus began flowing rapidly from the wound- drenching the towel that Hershel quickly placed under her legs. Gasping for breath, she bit down on the spoon handle harder- as Hershel moved on to the deep cut in her right knee. The pain was growing worse with every passing moment- causing sweat to drip down Jasper's forehead. Watching, she saw him withdraw the scalpel- and together they watched as spots of red began appearing in the pus. After a minute or two passed, the liquid became fully red- bright and uninfected.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Hershel discarded the stained towel onto the floor- cautiously wrapping a new one around the fresh wounds. Sweat beading on his own forehead, he placed the scalpel down- before reaching for another blade. It was longer- but no less sharp. Picking up the lighter again, Hershel heated the blade- waiting until it turned a familiar burned orange before placing the lighter down again.

Tears streaming down her face, Jasper watched as he placed the blade at the opening of the gunshot hole in her torso.

As he pushed the blade in, Jasper felt the spoon handle drop from her mouth- as she let out a cry of agony. Struggling, feeling the blade deep within the wound, she began shaking intensely- the black tendrils in her vision replaced by shining stars.

When her sight began wavering, Jasper felt Hershel remove the blade…

And found her body trembling anew.

With the world fading around her, Jasper heard a flurry of movement.

"She's going into shock!" Hershel stood up.

"Can't we stop?" Jasper heard Maggie through the pain induced haze. "She's in pain!"

"If I don't do this then she won't make it through the night!" Hershel protested.

The older man began arguing with Maggie, the latter unable to watch their guest in such pain.

Feeling her body begin to grow numb, Jasper finally gave into the pain…

And passed out.

* * *

 _Jasper ran rapidly through the woods, drawing on a renewed energy as the sound of walkers groaning mingled with the tragic noise of a child crying. Stumbling over fallen trees and branches, she forced her way forward- gripping her hunting knife tighter with each new step. Ignoring a growing sense of dread, she found herself at the edge of a clearing- overlooking a flowing creek. Wildly looking around, Jasper saw movement to her right- and ran forward._

 _As the water around her began turning red, she looked down…_

 _And saw a young girl lying at her feet._

* * *

This time, as she came to, Jasper found that her body was no longer burning with intense agony- and had instead become immersed in a dull ache. Beyond the aches and lingering pains, she felt no heat, no fever- only a numb feeling that seemed to be setting in. Throat cracked and dry, she tried to open her eyes- but found that she didn't even have the strength to do that. Infuriated by how weak she felt, Jasper resigned herself to listening in to what was going on around her.

"Any change?" an unfamiliar, yet unmistakably female voice spoke up.

"None yet." Jasper soon recognized Hershel's kind voice.

"When will she wake up?" a voice Jasper realized was Sophia's piped up.

"I'm not sure." Hershel admitted. "It's only been a few hours. She did go into shock."

"But she will wake up?" Sophia spoke again.

Smiling slightly at her young companions concern, Jasper gathered all the energy she could- drawing on her inner strength in order to open her eyes. It was hard- she was exhausted, and her eyelids were heavy from the tiredness...but she still forced them open. Once again greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling in a hazy, swirling world, Jasper fought back the intense nausea- and cleared her throat.

Almost instantly, Hershel was in her line of vision- face wearing a surprised and altogether shocked expression. Despite the tiredness reflected in his eyes, he soon began smiling warmly.

"You're awake." Hershel spoke. "You had me worried back there."

"Thank you." Jasper managed, though it grated on her sore throat.

"You're very welcome. I doubt it's much compared to your work…" Hershel's voice tailed off.

"I'm still...alive...aren't I?" Jasper smiled tiredly.

"True enough." Hershel seemed relieved.

The stairs creaked- and footsteps soon sounded down the hall. Within a few moments, a familiar face was at the door- Sophia. Once the two of them locked eyes, the young girl smiled- beaming almost from ear to ear. Quickly crossing the room, she came to stand opposite Hershel at Jasper's side. Hesitantly, the young girl reached out her arms. Smiling fondly, Jasper went to reach out her own arms- only to stare at them. The room fell into silence. Arms trembling, she found tears stinging in her eyes. It wasn't the shakes that disturbed her, nor was it the numerous scratches. It was the distinctly hand shaped bruises on her wrists. As she took in the angry markings, Jasper felt the shakes spread to the rest of her body.

Tactfully, Hershel shepherded Sophia out of the room- insisting even as the young girl protested. Pausing for a moment in the doorway, he waited until Jasper looked up at him- before he exited the room...closing the splintered door behind him.

Allowing the tears to flow freely down her face, Jasper found all the memories of her assault flowing back to her.

 _Eyes wide with rage, he crawls into the car again, climbing on top of her. As he leans down, close enough that she can feel his breath on her skin, Jasper spits- the spittle hitting the man in between his eyes. Cursing, the tall man moves backwards- before reaching out a hand to slap her hard across the face._

Eyes wide, Jasper found it harder and harder to contain her emotions. It was taking everything she had not to break.

 _Spitting out blood, she reacts quickly again- using her last burst of energy to headbutt him. Reeling, the man screams with fury- clenching his hands into fists._

Shaking harder, she struggled to take deep, gasping breaths- as she felt her breathing become more erratic.

 _The last thing Jasper sees before everything goes black…_

Jasper swallowed in an attempt to reign in her emotions.

 _Is the tall man tearing her shirt open._

Shoulders heaving, Jasper struggled to draw in a breath. She never liked showing her emotions much- much less in the presence of strangers.

But...try as she might…

She was cracking.

* * *

 _ **With Shane…**_

* * *

 _Pushing through the crowds of people, Shane fought back the feeling of guilt gnawing at his heart. It had taken every fiber of his being to tear himself away from Rick's lifeless body- but he pushed forward. He couldn't give up. Looking around wildly as the hospital descended into panic- the sound of rapid gunshots echoing in the ruined halls, Shane ran. Willed himself to keep moving. He couldn't think about Rick's body lying there- he had to think about who was left. He had to think about Lori and Carl- he had to take care of them. He knew it was what Rick would want- but that didn't make it any easier. He'd known Rick for as long as he could remember- they were as close as brothers. It was agony to leave his body behind, but Shane still kept going- until he finally got out of the hospital.._

 _And froze where he stood._

 _All around him, people were dropping like flies- downed by the heavy gunfire. Coupled with piercing screams, the noise was almost deafening. Drawn by the carnage, fhe terrifying 'walkers' that Shane had seen on the news began descending upon the chaos in force- swarming soldiers and innocents alike. Absolutely terrified, Shane fought against his own fear._

 _Taking out his gun, he gritted his teeth._

 _He_ _ **was**_ _going to get to Lori and Carl._

 _And_ _ **nothing**_ _was going to stop him._

* * *

When he finally started coming around, Shane instantly became aware of the agonizing ache in his head. It was incomparable to anything he'd ever felt- a new pain. The back of his skull was throbbing painfully- and he was sure that, if his eyes were open, he'd definitely be seeing stars. Grimacing, Shane did his best to focus- pushing through the pain. His brain almost in a fog, he struggled- until he could finally find the strength to open his eyes. The world around him was blurred beyond recognition- enough to bring a building sense of nausea. Swallowing, both to steady his nerves and his stomach, Shane blinked rapidly. Slowly, the blur began to fade away- and he could start to make out more defined shapes. Once his vision cleared completely, the former cop began studying his surroundings.

He was in an unfamiliar, dusty basement.

And opposite him...

"LORI!" Shane called out as he realized who the unconscious figure opposite him was.

Struggling, Shane tried to move- only to find his hands tied behind him. Cursing, he looked upwards- and saw a concrete pillar. Jerking around, he tried to break free...but soon found that was impossible. Looking back up, he found Lori in the exact same position in front of him. Several feet away- close, but at the same time...so very far. Studying the unconscious woman, Shane felt his heart almost stop when he saw a patch of blood on the right side of her pale face. Racking his brain, he tried to remember just how they'd gotten into such a shitty situation.

 _The engine stalls, and he curses- swearing up a storm as the car grinds to a halt. The engine couldn't have broken down at a worse time. He and Lori were alone- and if Sophia's story had been anything to go by- they probably wouldn't be alone for long. With a million thoughts running through his mind, he turns to face Lori- who was staring at the dark road before them...likely with the same thoughts in her head. Cautiously looking all around, he takes a deep breath- before reaching for his gun._

" _Where are you going?" Lori speaks up._

" _Have to get this thing started." he opens the car door on his side._

" _It's not safe-" Lori starts._

" _It's more dangerous to stay here." he interrupts, stepping out the car._

 _Just as he is reaching to shut the door, he hears footsteps behind him. Reacting quickly, he turns around…_

 _Only to have something heavy hit him round the side of the head…_

 _Which knocks him out cold._

The memory brings with it a realization- the two of them had been taken. Likely by the same men that had attacked Sophia and her new friend. Of course, he had no way of knowing that for sure- but he also knew that there weren't many groups still surviving...much less the large group that Sophia had described. After all, there was safety in numbers- to a point. If you had too many people in your group then you became a walking, all-you-can-eat buffet.

"Shane?" Lori's voice breaks Shane out of his thoughts.

Heart skipping a beat, Shane re-focused on Lori's face- instantly relieved when he saw no misty daze reflected in her eyes. It meant that she didn't have a concussion- which would greatly improve their chances of getting through whatever kind of shitty situation they were currently stuck in.

"You alright?" Shane pursued.

"I think so…" Lori's eyes widened.

"You hurt?"

"No, I...I just…"

As Lori avoided his gaze, Shane frowned. Before he could speak, however, he caught Lori's eyes drifting down to her stomach. Even with the concern and tears in her eyes, it still took a few moments before the realization hit Shane like a sledgehammer.

"Lori…" Shane swallowed. "Are you…"

When Lori merely nodded in response, the former cop felt a myriad of emotions. On one hand, he was overjoyed- because there was the very real possibility that the child was _his._ On the other hand, he was also concerned- how was the group supposed to raise a baby in a world like _this?_

"Is it mine?" Shane spoke up hesitantly. "Lori, is it-"

"It's Rick's." Lori interrupted.

"But-"

"No matter what's happened, it's Rick's."

Before he could even formulate an answer, the two of them were snapped back into reality by the sound of footsteps upstairs. The moments distraction was soon replaced by a growing panic- and the noise of arguments above them. There was a great many voices- but they forced themselves to focus...until they could just make out a few yelled sentenced.

"I want her!" one voice complained.

"You can't have her yet." another spoke calmly.

"But the redhead was out cold- this one's awake!"

Shane and Lori's eyes widened- as Shane's suspicions were confirmed. They were dealing with the same group of degenerate men that had assaulted Jasper and attacked young Sophia. They'd heard what the group had done to the two of them. They'd heard _all of it_. So they both knew there wasn't going to be any reasoning with these men. It also meant that, judging by their words, a majority of them wanted to do to Lori what they'd done to Jasper. Something that Shane definitely wasn't going to let happen.

"Are...they…" Lori looked pale.

"The same men that attacked Sophia?" Shane finished her sentence. "I think so."

"Oh god…" Lori leant her head back.

"Hey, Lori. Look at me." Shane spoke reassuringly.

When Lori finally made eye contact again, Shane offered a small smile.

"I'm not going to let them hurt you." Shane spoke firmly. "You hear me?"

Just as Lori was opening her mouth to thank Shane, they were shocked into silence by the sound of a door creaking open…

And footsteps coming down a set of stairs.

* * *

 _ **With Jasper…**_

* * *

Sucking in deep, heaving breaths, Jasper struggled to regain control of her breathing- tears streaming down her face. She'd not cried much since Annie died- Jasper had believed that she'd cried enough after that to last several lifetimes. Yet here she was, breaking down again. Jasper wondered just how much more she could take- how much more she could lose. Every day seemed to be getting harder. She'd wondered many times over the past few days what she would have done if she hadn't found Sophia. Would she still be alive? Would she have wanted to stay alive?

Deep in her thoughts, Jasper was startled by a knock on the door. Looking up blearily through her tears, she gathered all her remaining strength- before clearing her throat.

"Who is it?" Jasper spoke quietly, throat sore.

"I'm Sophia's mom. Hershel said to leave you be, but I couldn't…" the woman took a deep breath. "I thought you could use...someone. Maybe a friend?"

Surprised, Jasper found herself smiling- despite the tears.

"Come in." she finally spoke.

As the door creaked open, Jasper hastily wiped her tears away- pulling her sleeves down to cover the handmarks, just as Carol was poking her head round the door. The older woman hesitated in the doorway- waiting until Jasper smiled before she approached. As Carol walked over, Jasper slowly pulled herself into a proper sitting position. Awkwardly, Carol sat on the edge of the bed, before clearing her throat.

"I wanted to say thank you." Carol spoke up.

"Thank you?" Jasper seemed surprised.

"You brought my little girl back to me." Carol took Jasper's hands in hers. "Thank you."

"It was the right thing to do." Jasper answered simply.

Shaking her head, Carol let go of Jasper's hands, and hesitated again for a moment- before embracing Jasper. Surprised, Jasper simply sat there in shock- before returning the embrace.

"Really…" Carol spoke up. "I can't thank you enough."

After a few moments in peaceful quiet, the two of them broke apart- both sitting in companionable silence before the peace was shattered by the sound of shouting downstairs. Confused, Jasper and Carol glanced at each other- listening as the yelling escalated, permeated by the sound of furniture being smashed across the floor. A few moments passed in tense silence before Hershel appeared in the doorway- face pale and withdrawn.

"Is everything alright?" Carol rose to her feet.

"The young man…he had this…" Hershel produced a small, black, handheld radio. "Long range."

"Why would he-" Carol started.

"His friends have Shane and Lori." Rick appeared, dark circles under his eyes.

"Your friends?" Jasper turned to face him.

"My friend…and my wife." Rick sounded exhausted. "She's…"

"Is she hurt?" Jasper enquired.

"No. I don't think they've touched her yet. But she's….Lori's pregnant."

Rick's words caused the group to fall into a shocked silence- no one quite able to believe what they'd heard.

"What do they want?" Carol pierced the silence. "The boy?"

"They don't care about him. They used him." Hershel pointed out.

"Why-" Carol started.

"Me." Jasper realised, turning to face Carol with a grim expression. "They used him….to get to me."

A moment passed in awkward silence, before Jasper spoke again- locking eyes with Rick.

"They want me, don't they?" she crossed her arms, though they trembled from pain and exhaustion.

When no one met her gaze, Jasper took as deep a breath as she could- before uncrossing her arms to brace herself. Body shaking, she slowly pushed herself upwards- until she shakily stood on her own two feet. Gradually moving her back until she was fully upright, Jasper straightened up.

"Where are they?" she spoke firmly.

"They said they had them in a small town…not far from here." Hershel took a step forward. "I don't think it's wise for you to be out of bed."

"They want me." Jasper took another deep breath, ignoring Hershel's concern. "So take me."

"We can't just hand you over to them." Rick interjected. "Not after what they did."

"You have to. You said your wife is pregnant. They...they won't treat her any differently than they treated me." Jasper shuddered. "She'd lose the baby. I can't let that happen."

Expression grave, Rick found no words to form a reply- leaving Carol to speak up again.

"Still, we can't just…hand you over." Carol sounded frustrated.

"You can." Jasper repeated. "And you will."

"No." Rick spoke firmly. "We won't."

"They'll kill your friend. And your wife." Jasper seemed surprised.

"We just need to come up with a plan." Rick crossed his arms.

"Hand me over then." Jasper echoed her earlier words. "Use me as a distraction."

"Distraction?" Rick frowned.

"If they're holed up in town, it'll be in one of the bigger houses." Jasper continued. "Houses that size likely have a basement. I'm willing to bet that's where your people will be."

"That makes some sense." Hershel agreed.

"Exactly. So I go in, draw some of them out- and get their attention." Jasper explained. "Then you get inside and get your people out."

"It could work." Hershel turned to face Rick.

"Maybe we could-" Rick seemed uncomfortable with the idea of handing Jasper over.

"There's no better option. These men are…ruthless. You won't be able to reason with them." Jasper tried convincing Rick.

"We're running out of time." Hershel spoke up.

After a moment of consideration, Rick sighed heavily- before holding up the handheld radio. Looking down at the bulky object, he pressed a small red button- gesturing for the others to remain silent.

"This is Rick." he spoke into the radio.

"Rick." a voice cut through the resulting static. "You got an answer for me?"

"I do." Rick remained calm.

"You'll bring her?"

"I will."

"Good. We'll meet you at the sign on the edge of town."

Once the radio cut off again, Rick tucked the radio into his belt- before exhaling slowly.

"Edge of town." Rick shook his head.

"We can still get to your wife and friend." Jasper grimaced as a sharp pain struck her. "I'll drive in with you to the sign."

"What about-" Rick started.

"Has to be you handing me over." Jasper interrupted. "Since you've been the one communicating with them."

"I know another way into town." Hershel added. "I'll take Glenn and Daryl. TDog can't fight with that arm of his, so he can get us in and out."

"How do we know if you have them?" Rick asked.

"I think I have an old flare somewhere." Hershel answered. "We could use that as our signal."

"We're going to have to kill them to get your people back." Jasper pointed out.

"I'm not normally prone to violence. I am a man of God. " Hershel agreed. "But for these men, I believe the Lord will make an exception."

"We're really doing this?" Carol spoke nervously.

"We are." Rick confirmed, before turning to face Jasper. "You up for this?"

"Always." Jasper nodded.

"Alright, then. Let's get ready. This won't be easy." Rick sighed.

As everyone began filtering out of the room, Jasper turned to look at Carol. Tense silence remained all that was exchanged between them, for a few moments. Before Jasper could speak, the other woman abruptly left the room- leaving Jasper confused. A few moments ticked by before Carol reappeared, holding a familiar white coat.

"I cleaned it." Carol offered up the coat. "I thought you might want it back. Daryl found it...when he was looking for Sophia."

"You cleaned it?" Jasper was surprised. "But back then…you had no way of knowing who it belonged to."

"I know. It just seemed like…the right thing to do." Carol smiled warmly.

"Thank you, Carol." Jasper smiled back.

* * *

After some tense preparation, Rick, Jasper, and the others gathered on the front porch. All of them were as armed as they could be, each of them wearing an equally grim expression- for they knew that the approaching fight would not be easy. They also knew it was highly likely that some of them may not survive the encounter with the violent men- yet they all remained unwavering in their resolve. They would not leave Shane and Lori at the mercy of the gang. Leaving them behind would mean losing what they had left of their humanity- something all of them were still desperately clinging to. In the midst of the silence, Sophia approached Jasper- who was staring at a silvery object in her hand. Once she stood at Jasper's side, she could see the object was a medium sized locket on a silver chain- a photo and ribbon tied lock of hair within.

"Is that her?" Sophia broke the silence. "Your daughter?"

Startled, Jasper looked down at her young charge- before her expression softened.

"Yeah, that's her." Jasper angled the locket so Sophia could see clearly.

"She's pretty." Sophia smiled.

"She was, wasn't she?" Jasper swallowed, tears glistening in her eyes.

Sighing, the older woman closed the locket, before fixing the clasp round her neck- allowing the silver pendant to rest against her chest. Clicking her knuckles, she checked her hunting knife- safely tucked into her belt. Glancing back at Sophia, she examined the hand gun in her right hand. It wasn't unlike the ones she had taken from the men on the road. Gladdened by its familiarity, she fought the feeling of dread growing in her stomach.

"Why can't I come with you?" Sophia's voice snapped Jasper out of her thoughts.

"It's too dangerous." Jasper spoke simply.

"I can fight!" Sophia protested.

"I know you can." Jasper grimaced slightly as she spoke- kneeling so she was face to face with Sophia. "But your Mom needs you."

When Sophia merely pouted and looked away, Jasper chuckled fondly.

"She needs you." Jasper repeated. "Imagine how worried she's been."

Sophia avoided looking Jasper in the eyes.

"Besides, someone's got to hold down the Fort while we're gone." Jasper rummaged in a pocket in her newly cleaned white coat, before producing a familiar pocket knife. "Can you take care of everyone until we get back?"

"You are coming back, right?" Sophia bit her lip nervously.

Jasper knew that there was a very real possibility that they were going to lose someone- and that someone would more than likely be her- due to the men she'd killed, and the fact that she wasn't exactly in fighting shape. But...she kept that to herself. Fixing a confident smile on her face, she tucked her gun into one of her jacket pockets- before placing her hands on Sophia's shoulders.

"I'm coming back." Jasper lied smoothly, handing the pocketknife to Sophia.

"Promise?" Sophia pursued.

Jasper smiled again, this time with a tinge of sadness in her heart.

"I promise."

Satisfied, Sophia embraced Jasper- causing tears to prickle in the older woman's eyes. Staying there for a moment, Jasper waited a while before backing away. Once she was stood up straight, she cleared her throat- and turned to face the others. Taking a deep breath, she allowed her expression to slip into a calm, collected appearance.

"Let's go."

* * *

As the car quietly glided along the road, engine rumbling, Rick and Jasper sat in silence. Neither of them were sure what to say. After all, they were practically strangers- and were about to face unimaginable odds. Taking advantage of the quiet, Jasper glanced at Rick. Even in the dim light of the car, she could see the frown on his face- the wrinkled lines of worry. Adding to it the fact that his whole body was coiled tight with tension…and she could tell that he was hurting. It was understandable. Rick's best friend and Rick's pregnant wife were seriously at risk. It wasn't an ideal situation in any sense.

"Anything I need to know before we head in?" Jasper broke the silence.

"Like what?" Rick sighed heavily.

"You met some of them." Jasper clutched her injured side in an effort to relieve the pain. "You kill any of them?"

"I did." Rick shook his head.

"Then they'll want you too."

"I know."

* * *

As they drove up to the town's sign, Rick and Jasper watched as the others sped by- all of them giving each other a solemn nod as their paths crossed. Keeping watch until the others were out of sight, Rick reached down for the radio. Whilst the former cop took a deep breath to steady his nerves, Jasper kept her guard up- glancing every which way to ensure they couldn't be surprised. Once satisfied, she turned to face her new companion- and listened with baited breath as the radio crackled. Static soon filled the silence, and for a few moments, they feared it would not work- until a sound cut through the white noise.

"Rick?" a voice spoke clearly.

"I'm here. Got what you asked for." Rick's voice remained calm, unwavering.

"Good." the voice replied.

As the static resumed, Rick and Jasper exchanged concerned glances- before focusing on the road ahead. As a set of headlights came into view, they braced themselves for what was to come. They knew that the men likely wanted them dead, but they also knew that neither of them was going to go down easily. Each of them would fight until the last second.

They'd fight.

For everyone back home.


End file.
